Magnet
by A Winter Dreamer
Summary: For life after life, lovers Alfred F. Jones and Arthur Kirkland have been together. From the royalty of Spades to countries and beyond, crossing universes, Alfred and Arthur have always been together. But a century ago, Alfred made a mistake, and Arthur paid for it. A century ago, their souls diverged for the first time. And now, Arthur must face the demon Alfred has become. (USUK)
1. Fall

_Hello, everyone! Thank you for deciding to read this story. It is my first story, so any criticism is appreciated! It was inspired by the song "Magnet" by Ryuusei-P. It was hard to fit this into the summary, but it's possible that the rating might go up later. Additionally, though the original song is in Japanese, the lyrics, for the purpose of this story, are the translated English lines.  
_

_Ah, and this takes place in a kingdom named Alar(I wonder where that name came from? xD)_

* * *

_'I want you to tell me_

_That you don't think this is a mistake_

_..._

_You are everything in the world to me...'_

"Sleeping on the job again, Kirkland?" Arthur jolted up from his slouching position at his desk with a start, seeing crisp, icy blue eyes leering down at him. Obnoxious, wonderful blue eyes that could only ever belong to the absolutely infuriating Francis Bonnefoy. Arthur wearily drew himself up fully from his desk, looking down at the documents he had wrinkled when he had fallen asleep. Judging by the bleak darkness outside the window and the faint glow of house lights far away, it was probably late at night. The lantern on his desk flickered miserably, as if reflecting his mood.

"What do you want?" he asked tiredly, picking up his pen and struggling to find where he had left off. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Francis today. Well, truly, he was _never_ in the mood to deal with Francis, but today was not one of his better days when he could _tolerate_ him.

"Don't disrespect the author," Francis said coldly. "Are you suggesting that her work is so _dreadful_ that you weren't able to keep your eyes open?" Francis shook a finger at him condescendingly, and for once, Arthur knew he had nothing to say in his defense.

"I just..." Arthur sighed, slumping into his chair again. He was distracted, he was anxious, and he knew why. He knew that he had that dream, again, that plagued him almost every night. That song...'_You are everything in the world to me...' _

It was like grasping at particles of dust, hoping to find substance, hoping to catch _something_, but it would always float away, tauntingly out of reach, and when it was caught it revealed itself to be absolutely nothing at all. The dream taunted him, teased him, and he could never remember any of it for more than a minute afterwards.

"Francis, have you...do you go to concerts often?"

"I _do_ have quite a taste in music, yes. I've seen anything from Sopora to Truzan. 'Tis _wonderful_, no? Truzan's vocals certainly have improved over the last couple of years, especially in his 'Esparza'..."

"There's this...song, I keep..." Arthur rubbed his temple in frustration. "It...it has this melody that..." What was it again? And what were the lyrics? Why could he ever only remember three lines of it? It felt so familiar, yet so distant...Surely it must be something popular, something that would have caught Arthur's attention. He wasn't terribly fond of music as most young people were nowadays, but occasionally he'd indulge in a small music festival or two when he had the time.

Francis frowned, tilting his head. "I would be pleased to discuss anything with you during non-working hours, but you, my dear friend, need to straighten your tie and get back to work. Aren't you always calling yourself the...ah, yes, that wonderful term. _Gentleman_?"

"I know how to do my job, frog!" Arthur spat, shooing away Francis while writing notes. Why on_ earth_ did he believe for a second that Francis would ever be of use to him? Indeed, he had been of...a _particular_ use to him five years ago, until he had proven he was more trouble and sorrow than he was worth.

"Whatever you say, Kirkland..." Francis smiled as he left the room, whistling.

"Nowhere in Alar will you find that kind of temper..." Francis made sure to let Arthur hear his final taunt before he closed the door quietly behind him.

* * *

It took Arthur over seven hours to finish editing the rest of the novel. For the first time in his life, it was excruciating and unbelievably tedious to trudge through the entire piece, and Arthur counted down the pages as he covered the helpless white with endless red. The characters moved absolutely nowhere at all, the plot didn't seem to move forward even if a hot iron was pressed to it, and most unbelievable was the amount of careless spelling and grammar errors that the author's own child could have probably fixed. He was given a two day vacation for his trouble, though Arthur didn't know how he could_ possibly_ rid himself of thoughts of that horrible novel. But he wasn't so broken as to not even try. No, he knew how to clear his head. And taking a stroll through the countryside was just one of those ways. No annoying frogs to disturb him, a cool breeze...

_'I want you to kiss me_

_I want you to remake me_

_I want to drown in this moment of captivation'_

Arthur's eyes widened as he stumbled on the path, catching himself. The lyrics...the song, it just...did he hear it from somewhere? Or was he hallucinating again?

That song...he'd always had dreams about it, but he'd never actually heard it while he was awake. Perhaps someone was singing it? But he seemed to be the only person on the mountain trail that day, and he couldn't even see a bird or squirrel on any tree.

He never understood why he'd only dream about that song. Sometimes he'd have other dreams, but he'd never remember them. Only the song. And it drove him insane. Especially recently, since the song had begun nestling itself into his thoughts in the daytime. Usually he'd just brush it off as 'just a dream,' but as of late, he had started to have an emotional reaction to the song. He felt his heart wrench in pain and felt as if...as if it had more meaning. Which dreams, of course, never did.

Already, he had forgotten the lyrics from yesterday's dream. And now, what he had just heard...it was already fading away. He'd resorted to writing the lyrics down, but just when he went to write them, he'd always forget the exact line.

"Moment of...captivation," Arthur murmured. He began humming, and singing, whatever was left, just the remnants, anything, any part of it...

He wasn't very good at singing, and he knew it. What he didn't know, however, was why he'd throw his pride away just to sing this stupid, infuriating song that had such a strong hold on him that he was going insane from thinking about it.

He was more than irritated. He couldn't let this song affect his life and his work. It was just some sick fabrication of his imagination; nothing more. So why could he never forget it? It was high time he went to a psychiatrist.

Although, he couldn't risk the psychiatrist diagnosing him of something else, something deeper hidden within him that he'd struggled not to tell anyone. That his visits to Francis five years ago had almost exposed. How Francis' knowing smile had caused his heart to turn in disgust. But he had wanted him anyway, and he was punished for that want.

Was he already near the peak of the hill? How far had he walked? It was getting dark; he knew he should go back soon. He turned back, and the lights of the city glittered against the dull sway of the trees, unnatural, monstrous, bright lights that hurt Arthur's eyes to look at.

_'Every moment, it's harder to restrain myself_

_..._

_There is no chance in our reality_

_If we touch, I know we can never go back..._

_And that's just fine...'_

"That song...again..." Arthur groaned, clutching his head. He didn't care anymore. He didn't want to know, he didn't want to hear it, he didn't want it to make him feel like this, and he didn't want his heart to throb so much it suffocated him...

As Arthur tripped over a tree root and stumbled over the cliff, a sharp scream ripped through the night as the sway of the trees muffled it, almost as if they were sorry for him.


	2. Pulse

_Aaaand, here is Chapter 2! Sorry for the wait after the cliffhanger. _

* * *

"Will he ever wake up? He's not dead, is he? I thought we made sure his vitals were okay! Liz, if this guy really is _him_-"

"Shhh! He'll wake up when he's _ready_. Stop being so impatient, Gilbert."

"But he's _human, _Liz...this is gonna be so lame. Unless he's _that_ one, he probably won't even see us!" Arthur heard a rustle and a grunt of pain in response.

_Human...?_ Arthur opened his eyes instantly, feeling his forearm burn with pain. "W-What in the..."

"Oh, he's alive!" the male voice cried gleefully.

As his eyes took in the sudden light and explosion of color, Arthur looked towards the people who were talking, his eyes wide and alert. There was a young woman and a man, who were staring at him in surprise, the man with a wild smile on his face and the woman with a more knowing, kinder smile. Arthur's eyes widened as he saw them, and he tried to stifle a yelp of surprise.

The woman had slender _horns_,if Arthur had to choose a word to describe them, that were sharp and small, but so deeply embedded in her hair that Arthur could almost believe they were real. Her forest-green eyes were slightly feline, and seemed to have shades of orange and yellow, like fallen leaves. And the man, with silver hair and crimson, almost reptilian eyes, also had horns, though his were slightly longer and seemed to have grown in a spiral pattern.

"You can...see us?" the man began, blinking dumbly at Arthur.

"I-I...pardon me, but...who are you?" Arthur asked, astonished. What was going on? Was this another dream? Perhaps they were just dressing up, there was no way...yes, that was it. He was just delusional. He'd fallen, and...clearly these were some of the strange pagans Francis had always claimed were hiding in the woods.

"Uh...I'm Gilbert! Call me Gil if you want. And this is Liz, but she's a real _devil_, so watch out!" Gilbert winked, guffawing to himself. "Get it? DEVIL."

Arthur frowned, bewildered. His accent seemed normal, perfectly Alarian. He seemed like one of those annoying, arrogant teenagers who prowled the streets with their gangs late at night, hoping to scare money and food out of innocent civilians.

"Don't mind him," Liz said suddenly, kicking Gilbert out of his chair. He fell to the floor with a large, definitely painful _thud_. "How are you feeling? Are you...you're definitely human."

"Um...yes, I am." Arthur said slowly. They must have saved him when he had fallen. He knew he had to say something to them, regardless of how bizarre the situation was. But if he truly _had_ fallen off the cliff, why was his _arm_ the only part of his body that was injured? He knew most people would have died if they had fallen from that height into the forest below.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but...how exactly did I end up here? I'm not wrong in assuming you saved me, yes?" he began carefully, looking at the two.

"Yes, we did," Liz said, a hint of a smile on her face. "And before you ask, we fixed you up just fine. You _almost_ permanently injured your spine, but we can't have that, you know."

"...'fixed me up?' How...my back feels perfectly fine, it's just my arm..." Arthur looked at himself in amazement. No cuts, no bruises, no scratches...

Liz smiled at him sympathetically. "Mm-hmm, well, you know...if you _do _decide to escape, we can't have you in perfect condition, right? Something to hold you back."

"Excuse me?"

"This one's kinda thick, huh, but I guess he's the one," Gilbert yawned, standing up and slouching down in his chair again. He flipped open a magazine as if to signal that he was done with the conversation. "Whoa, this chick's really hot. Liz, you could learn from this."

Ignoring him, Liz pressed an ice pack gently to Arthur's arm. "It's a sprain. It'll be okay in a couple of weeks, so...don't worry too much, all right? You'll be fine."

"How did you...how did you manage to treat all of my injuries? And, if it isn't rude to ask...are you, perhaps, dressed up for something?" They seemed too real, and it unnerved Arthur.

Liz sighed. "No, honey...my full name is Elizaveta, firstly, and, to be blunt - we're demons."

Arthur blinked, not knowing what to say. He always had a secret belief in magic and the occult when he was a child, but never had he expected to actually be in the presence of demons at _any_ point in his life. But this silly, foolish belief had been beaten out of him soon enough, such that he was rendered unable to accept the situation in front of him now. Surely these two, despite their...oddities, were playing a prank on him. Surely something Francis had a hand in.

"I know, we have horns - _so_ fitting, right? But the horns are punishment. High class demons are completely normal. They look just like you - well, they look just like any normal human. And...yes, as I mentioned earlier...I'm afraid you're going to have to live here, because now that you saw us...well, hmm...we can't have our little hideout busted, right?" She smiled and then sighed, looking as if she wanted to say something else as she fidgeted. "Honestly, we don't want to have to do this, but we have to protect the house - and _you_ \- for _him_."

Arthur decided to play along with what she was saying, the only evidence being his _possibly _miraculous recovery. He knew that, either way, these people - or demons - were clearly not up to anything good, judging by her apparent need to keep their location a secret. And yet, though he couldn't understand, Arthur sensed a certain kindness, perhaps even gentleness in her words that he couldn't explain. "Sorry, but for...whom, may I ask?"

A knock echoed through the room. Elizaveta smiled, though whether it was forced or genuine, Arthur couldn't tell. "He's here. Perfect timing, I suppose."

"Jesus, Al, just open the fucking door, there's no lock." Arthur immediately stared at Gilbert, slightly appalled by his sudden language. Gilbert didn't seem to mind as he casually flipped to the next page of his magazine.

"As if, Liz stabbed me with a knife the other day for interrupting you two fu-" The man paused after he roughly forced the door open and walked through the short hallway to the living room, looking towards Arthur, his eyes narrowing immediately. "Who's this? Human?"

Elizaveta sighed, rubbing her hands together as she bit her lip. "Gil, stop reading that and get over here. Yeah, he...fell through our roof, actually - but don't worry about that, Gil fixed it - and...we didn't technically have a choice, but he's a sweetheart, so I'm sure we'll get along, yes?"

Gilbert snorted. "Al'll tear him up tonight for dinner, just wait."

Elizaveta's eyes flared red, her pupils dilating ever so slightly. "He's mine. Don't touch him." The air was heavy with tension as "Al" took slow steps towards Arthur.

_'I am drawn to you like a magnet..._

_Even if we were apart, I'd find you again...'_

Why was he hearing that song _now_, of all times?!

Arthur backed up as much as he could into the frame of the bed, his eyes never having left the man as soon as he walked into the room. His hair was jet black, hanging in light strands across his forehead with an unnatural cowlick the curled upwards. His eyes put Gilbert's crimson to shame, and glinted in a way that reminded Arthur of spilled blood. Similar to Elizaveta, his eyes seemed slightly feline, but more human than compared to the other two demons. His skin was paler than Arthur's, and even compared to Liz and Gil, he was deathly pale. He had two short, curled horns, sort of resembling a minotaur's, that were nestled in his hair and seemed unnaturally sharp.

"A-Anyway, this is Alfred..." Elizaveta explained, smiling tightly at Arthur. She was definitely tense. "Just don't go into his room at night, okay? You might get eaten."

Arthur's eyes widened. "E-Excuse me?"

"Especially someone as scrawny as you. You ever lift?" Gil asked, not wasting time as he pointed, quite proudly, to his bicep.

"I-I edit...I don't really..." Arthur was at a loss for what to do. He was still having a hard time accepting that these people weren't human, despite his childhood beliefs. It had been so long ago, that night when his mother had thrown out his books on myths and magic and had replaced them with books on math and science. But the more he looked at Alfred, the more he was beginning to understand he didn't have a choice - the man in front of him was definitely _not _human.

"Edit?" Alfred snorted, interrupting Arthur's thoughts. "Edit your _eyebrows_, first. The fuck is going on there?" Alfred's eyes locked with Arthur's as he felt a shiver of fear run down his spine, which was immediately followed by a whirl of anger at Alfred's rude attitude.

"Excuse me, but if we're talking about _fixing_ things-" Arthur suddenly stopped as Alfred's gaze turned intense, and found himself surprised that just a simple look from the demon could render him speechless. Arthur was _strong; _he wasn't so weak that he would wilt like a flower under the demon's gaze. Alfred started walking towards Arthur, and Arthur gulped, feeling fear for the first time in a while. Real, raw fear.

"You think you can talk to _me_ like that?" Alfred asked in a low voice as he approached him, his eyes narrowed with a predatory gaze, and walked closer and closer until Elizaveta blocked him, stretching her hands out.

"I said _don't touch him._"

Gil grinned, grabbing Elizaveta and forcing her out of his way. "Come on, Liz, it'll be fun! We can see what our little pet is made of."

"I know, but Al _can't_-"

"It'll be all right. Besides, he won't stand a chance if we don't test him now, right?"

Alfred made his way to the bed unhindered and roughly dragged Arthur by the collar into a standing position by the side of it.

"Al, I told you, he's only _human_-"

"And just why the fuck did you fall through our roof? Who do you think you are?" Alfred growled, his eyes lit with anger, and, if Arthur was correct...slight curiosity.

But Arthur couldn't move. Fear paralyzed him as he stared into Alfred's merciless, blood red eyes.

_'Were you crying, too?'_

Arthur knew he had to be strong. Nobody else was going to save him - as if he _needed_ saving - and he'd been irritated for a while, what with these...demons treating him like some lower being, able to be toyed with. He was Arthur Kirkland, _the_ Arthur Kirkland, and he was done with being lost, confused, and _helpless_.

"It's no trouble discerning what manner of creature _you _are," Arthur responded sarcastically, meeting Alfred's gaze the best he could without falling to pieces. He was strong, stronger than this crass demon, and he knew he couldn't - wouldn't - back down.

The grip on his collar tightened, but he didn't flinch as he supposed Alfred had expected him to do.

Arthur tilted his head slightly, mockingly, as he smiled at Alfred. "What is it, then? Out with it. Show me your worst. Maybe you'll provide me with something interesting after years of desk work."

Suddenly, unexpectedly, the tips of Alfred's mouth quirked upwards into a grin. "And I thought this was going to be boring." Alfred laughed. "You're cute."

"You're positively adorable."

"But I don't like that tone of yours, Mr..."

"Arthur Kirkland," he said quickly, trying to quell his erratic heartbeat. Surely Alfred couldn't tell he was shaking...could he?

Suddenly, Gilbert broke out into laughter, dissipating the tension of the moment. "All right, all right, time out. I like him. He's got spark, you know?" Elizaveta smiled, nodding in response, though her hands were clenched in tight fists.

"To be honest, I _had_ hoped he'd be more than a sweet submissive angel," Elizaveta conceded, but shook her head. "But..." She mumbled something to herself, looking at the floor.

"But you know, Al's cool with you so I'm cool. Welcome to the family, Art." Gilbert grinned, his teeth uncannily sharp.

"_Art_? My name is Arthur," Arthur replied as Alfred released him.

"No one's got _time_ for that full-name shit, Art." Gilbert sighed, going back to his magazine as if to signal, yet again, that he was done with the whole affair.

Arthur hesitantly glanced at Alfred, searching for signs of I'm-getting-you-back-later, but instead found Alfred studying him.

"W-What?" Arthur asked defensively, his glance turning into a glare.

Alfred grinned. "Are you scared?"

"And why must I be scared of you?" Arthur huffed, crossing his arms in an attempt to look annoyed. But he knew Alfred's words held truth in them - just the sight of his grin set Arthur on edge.

"Oh, but you are..." Alfred suddenly reached out, grabbing Arthur's neck. Liz shot up immediately, running over to them.

"Al, _no_!"

"I feel it, it's here..." Alfred took a breath, and let it out slowly. His grip was firm, but slightly gentle, though Arthur thought he was going to strangle him. "It's been a while since I've felt a heart beat...and this fast, you sure you don't want me to end this for you?"

Arthur felt himself flush slightly, and he put his hands on Alfred's, trying to take his hand off. He knew he was at a disadvantage, as one of his arms was sprained. "L-Let go, you bloody-"

"I don't think I _want_ to. Why don't you test your strength, little lion? It's only one hand."

Arthur glared at him, struggling to remove it. Why was he so damn _strong_? Surely it was because he was a demon. Arthur knew he wasn't some rag doll that a_ normal_ person could bully.

After a full minute, which seemed like forever, Alfred leaned closer, and Arthur instinctively took a step back. Alfred's eyes lit up in delight. "Damn, you were doing so well..."

"_'Well'_? Are you making a fool out of me?" Arthur was glad he was still able to form a sentence with how much he was panicking. But his fear mixed with anger and irritation as he struggled to fight back against the high-and-mighty demon.

"No, no, you're not supposed to step _back,_ that makes you seem weak. But that's not bad either..."

Finally, Elizaveta seemed to have had enough, and wrenched Alfred's arm off for Arthur. And as Arthur glared at Alfred, he knew one thing.

Tonight, he needed to escape.


	3. Alfred

_Hello everyone! Sorry for the long wait. Onwards to Chapter 3!_

* * *

The rest of the day was more or less uneventful. Alfred had resorted to bothering Arthur every so often, occasionally getting physical, but it was nothing as serious as their first encounter had been. Every time he had fought Alfred off, mostly with words, he had felt a slight, peculiar pull towards him, wanting to know more about him and about why he even bothered to harass Arthur in the first place. Although, Arthur would die before he'd admit it.

Sometimes Alfred would disappear into his room for hours with no explanation, leaving Arthur to wonder exactly what he was doing - though Arthur would never admit that he actually _cared_. So far Alfred had proven to be nothing but a typical, albeit unique demon - acting superciliously cocky one moment and childishly delighted or stubborn the next. Arthur had no idea what to make of it.

Except for that one moment.

For a moment, just a single moment, Arthur had felt as if he had gotten a glimpse of Alfred's true self - when Alfred's hands were on his throat when they had first met. Though he hated to admit it, his heart was indeed beating fast, but...now that he thought about it, Alfred didn't seem to have any malicious intent when he had pointed it out. He had said something about it being a "while" since he had last heard one, as Arthur recalled. Seeing that flicker of calm bliss, replaced all too soon by arrogance, on Alfred's face when he was listening made Arthur feel slightly uneasy, as any person would, but left him surprised and curious more than anything. Why would a demon be so interested in a human's pulse? Perhaps he'd take some sadistic pleasure in hearing the heartbeat stop if he decided to kill Arthur, but Arthur somehow knew that couldn't be his intention.

He stared out the window from his bed, lost in thought while watching the sky grow darker. The brilliant, beautiful warm hues were beginning to fade into darkness, and the dark purples and greys made the sky look almost poisonous. Gilbert had been in the room the entire time, but Arthur knew it wasn't simply because he couldn't put down his magazine.

He had been watching Arthur. Watching his movements, every time Arthur even turned to look at something - Gilbert was watching. Were they suspicious that he'd just get up and _leave_? Although Arthur hated to admit it, Gilbert did indeed look stronger than him, and could probably tackle Arthur if he tried to make an escape. Elizaveta had either been in the kitchen or in the living room with Arthur and Gilbert, but she didn't seem too concerned about Arthur's movements. She had been a very fine host, always asking about his needs, or even striking up small talk when she sensed Arthur was getting bored.

Gilbert hadn't spoken to him once since he had asked him his name. Arthur had no idea why Gilbert was so interested in him, but in reality, he had no idea why _any_ of them were so keen on keeping him locked up in the house. It wasn't as if he'd blab to the rest of the town about demons living in the forest - and if he did, he'd probably be considered a lunatic. He wouldn't have believed it himself if someone had told him so, though he couldn't deny that he wouldn't go looking for them, chasing after some vain, foolish hope.

Arthur sighed, fidgeting as he stood up to stretch. Surely there was something to take his mind off of things. Perhaps they had a book or two - _not_ Gilbert's magazines - that he could peruse in his apparent ample leisure time. Gilbert immediately stood up as Arthur did, walking over to him.

"What do you think?" Gilbert asked suddenly, his voice low as his intense gaze took Arthur by surprise. "About our Al."

"W-Well," Arthur began hesitantly, "He is certainly an...interesting character, isn't he?" Arthur thought it best not to offend Alfred in the presence of his...friend?...but he didn't want to be so quick to write off Alfred as completely crude, either.

Gilbert cracked a small grin. "You think so?"

Arthur smiled slightly. "To be completely honest, I really don't know much about him; after all, I've only known him for a day. But I feel as if there's more to him than being a condescending brute."

Gilbert laughed loudly, patting Arthur on the back. "All right, man. I like it."

Without another word, he whistled as he turned around and left the living room, leaving Arthur alone.

* * *

The house was silent, with only a lantern flickering weakly in the hallway for light. It was probably close to midnight, or even past it, as Elizaveta and Gilbert had already headed up to their room, telling Arthur not to move around too much. Alfred was probably in his; apparently, according to Elizaveta, he "liked" to go to his room by 11 PM. Arthur found it odd, considering the demon seemed so rowdy and disinclined to follow any rules, but he didn't inquire as to why. Alone on the bed downstairs, Arthur looked at the window and found pure darkness, save for the leaves on plants reflecting the moon's cold light.

_I have to do it now, I have to escape...Surely those three must have fallen asleep._

He got off the bed slowly, ensuring it wouldn't creak, and made his way to the small hall towards the door. He wasn't sure if this would be a trap of some sort, with the three popping out at him if he so much as touched the doorknob, but he felt that Elizaveta trusted him, and if Alfred wasn't going to leave his room, Arthur doubted he had anything to worry about. Gilbert seemed to have cooled off from his strange observation session earlier, and seemed casual around Arthur. His only true worry was Alfred, and if he had another confrontation with him like he had the first time they met, he knew he probably wouldn't make it out intact, especially if he angered Alfred. At least, not without Elizaveta's help.

Arthur frowned in thought as he shuffled silently across the hall. Was Arthur's being a human the only reason Alfred seemed to initially...well, hate him so much? Or, perhaps, did he hold a grudge against Arthur himself? But they had never even met, so that wouldn't make any sense. Arthur shook his head quickly. He needed to stop thinking about Alfred so much and focus on his escape.

_Just a little bit more...yes!_

But as soon as his hand was on the doorknob, an arm shot out from behind him and slammed the door shut. Arthur slowly turned around in dread and found blood red eyes, shimmering in the darkness, pinning him to where he stood.

* * *

"Al...fred..." _Well, this is bloody fantastic._

"And where the fuck do you think you're going?" he growled, barely veiling his anger. Due to the close proximity in the dim light of the lantern, Arthur couldn't help but notice that...well, Alfred, if human, would really be considered handsome. The lighting only served to make his already-attractive features all the more alluring. At least, it would, if his eyes didn't make a person want to stay outside of a ten mile radius of him. _You fool, stop thinking about it!_

"I..." Arthur knew he needed to think fast. "Water," he said suddenly and looked up at Alfred, feigning boredom. "Surely you'd allow me water. If you _did_, in fact, intend to keep me alive."

"Water can be found in the kitchen, my dear lion. Not by the door." Alfred's voice took on a mocking tone now, that slightly playful tone that Arthur had grown used to after a full day of hearing it.

"And is wanting fresh water, _untainted by demons_, such a bad thing?" Arthur tilted his head, refusing to look away from Alfred. He couldn't lose. He couldn't lose to this demon who irritated and intrigued him so much.

Ignoring the insult, Alfred simply smiled, an unnatural smile that made Arthur began to shake, ever so slightly. Was he sweating already?

"Weren't you supposed to be in your room?" Arthur asked mockingly. "Oh, I see...could it be that you're ignoring your bedtime? That's not a good habit to have, you know. You won't grow much more if you keep it up," Arthur sighed, shaking his head. Perhaps now he'd find out the reason for this strange habit.

Alfred smiled widely. He suddenly tilted Arthur's head up, with a finger gently forcing Arthur's chin upward. "And I don't want to hear that from a lion who can't beat this demon in height."

Arthur crossed his arms, unamused. "I do have a name."

"Right, Arthur...Kirkland."

_'I want to embrace you, I want you to tell me_

_That you don't think this is a mistake...'_

Startled by the melody, Arthur suddenly frowned. Nobody could be singing it. Why did he have to hallucinate it _now_ of all times? It was almost as if his mind was working against him.

"What? Don't like the sound of your name?" Alfred smirked.

"Shut up, I..." Arthur frowned. "Why is that song..."

"Going senile at this age? Lions need to eat meat, otherwise they won't grow strong. It's hunt or be hunted, _Arthur_." The way he drew out Arthur's name, as if tasting it, made Arthur shiver.

When Alfred suddenly leaned closer, Arthur drew back against the door, until his back hit it and he couldn't back up anymore. Alfred pretended to pity him, but Arthur could only see amusement and delight in his eyes. He was _enjoying _this, he was _enjoying_ taunting Arthur and watching him suffer. All possible thoughts of trying to understand him were turned into rage as he glared at Alfred.

"My, my, didn't daddy ever tell you not to run away from a fight?" Alfred asked condescendingly.

"He certainly didn't tell me about the gall with which demons talked nowadays," Arthur sneered, turning his face away. "As if you have the _right_-!"

Arthur was interrupted as, without warning, Alfred collapsed against him. Though Arthur initially struggled to hold him up, they both ended up falling to the floor.

"Al-Alfred! What are you-"

_'Even if this is something that cannot be forgiven_

_The flames of passion climb higher...'_

Arthur shook his head. Why did this keep happening? He couldn't afford to be distracted. Just as Arthur was about to give Alfred a well-deserved kick in the gut, Alfred stirred, and in the dim light, Arthur gasped in astonishment.

Alfred's hair...it had completely changed color, from the dead, black strands to a lush, rich gold, darker than Arthur's hair. And as Alfred stirred again and gazed at Arthur, Arthur could see clearly that his eyes were a beautiful blue, like the sky on a perfectly clear day that he had always longed to see, past the dreary clouds and fog...

_'You are everything in the world to me...'_

* * *

Alfred rubbed his eyes, sitting up while furrowing his eyebrows and squinting at his surroundings. "Where...I'm usually...I..." His voice was softer, gentler than Arthur thought Alfred capable, even though it was laced with confusion.

Arthur was stunned. He could only watch as Alfred's hands blindly roamed across the floor as if he were searching for something. But Alfred didn't seem to be looking at anything at all. In fact, it was almost as if he was _avoiding_ looking at Arthur. His eyes, unfocused and occasionally moving slowly from the floor to straight in front of him, betrayed nothing. Arthur drew in his breath as soon as Alfred's hand touched his leg, and Alfred jumped in surprise.

"W-W-Who's there?!" Alfred cried out as he immediately backed up. His eyes shot up, seeking but not finding.

Arthur felt his heart twinge with a pain he couldn't understand. Alfred sounded so broken, so defenseless...nothing like the Alfred that had threatened him just moments before.

"A-Alfred, are you all right?" Arthur began hesitantly, frowning slightly as he remained still.

Alfred suddenly gasped, his eyes widening at the sound of Arthur's voice. His eyes were focused to Arthur's right, and left, and finally seemed to be focused on him, but it didn't feel as if Alfred were looking at him. "A-Arthur...?" He whispered the name, almost as if he were unsure, his voice filled with hope and something Arthur couldn't understand.

"Yes, Alfred, are you-"

"Arthur!" Alfred exclaimed, scrambling forwards until he managed to place his hands on Arthur's shoulders. His hands roamed across his shoulders and chest, and finally up to his face. "Oh my god, Arthur, it's you, oh God, Arthur, _Arthur_..."

Arthur flushed slightly at the way Alfred repeated his name. It was desperate and heart-wrenching, but it was calm, it was soothing, it was familiar, and...and why did Alfred seem so different now? Arthur's mind raced, and he didn't have time to react as Alfred wrapped his arms around him in a clumsy embrace, his face lit up in a large smile.

"U-Um...A-Alfred-"

Alfred squeezed tighter in response, and Arthur couldn't bring himself to form words. "Arthur, I-I missed you so much, I just...Arthur, I love you so much, please...I'm so sorry, Arthur..."

"I...w-what are you saying?!" Arthur exclaimed, struggling to push him away. "Alfred, what..."

But Alfred didn't let go. "Arthur, Arthur...I told them about you, Arthur, oh God, Arthur, I'm so _sorry_, I don't know...I'm just...I...I _need_ you Arthur, please, don't leave me again!"

"Alfred, I don't...I don't understand..." Alfred was acting so strangely...his voice was gentle, it was loving, it was warm, and Alfred's skin...it was healthy, it had color, everything about this man seemed _human_, and he was being so...so _affectionate_ for some reason...and desperate, and tense, and panicking...

Arthur felt something wet on his shoulder. Was Alfred _crying?_

"Alfred...Alfred!" Arthur couldn't push him away. "Alfred, face me." Alfred shook his head stubbornly, like a child, and burrowed his head further into Arthur's shoulder. Arthur didn't say anything until he finally felt Alfred's breathing rate calm down. He couldn't understand why his heart yearned to embrace Alfred, to wipe away his tears, to kiss him and tell him it was all okay, and he knew he had to stop such thoughts before they settled in his mind.

"Alfred, face me. Right now."

Reluctantly, Alfred drew back, his eyes glimmering with tears. "A-Arthur, I love you. I love you, Arthur, more than anything..."

Arthur felt himself blush, and shook his head. He didn't even _know_ Alfred; he had no reason to get worked up. But just the sight of his teary eyes and miserable, yet loving face made Arthur's heart wrench in pain. Arthur felt another sudden need to embrace him, to make him happy, to let him know everything was going to be all right, and he immediately grabbed his right hand with his left in a vain attempt to stop any possible involuntary movements. He looked up at Alfred again after a moment of silence, and expected to find Alfred gazing at him, but instead found Alfred focusing at a point just above Arthur's head.

"Alfred, you need to tell me what's going on. Why are you...why are you crying?"

Alfred's eyes suddenly lowered, meeting Arthur's gaze.

_'You are everything in the world to me...'_

"I..." Alfred bit his lip. "I thought I'd never see you again..."

Arthur frowned. "But...we just met each other today, Alfred...we last saw each other a couple of hours ago, I don't see why you'd..." he trailed off, at a loss for what to say.

Alfred's eyes widened as he gaped in silence. "W-What are you talking about, Arthur?" Then, he paused, his eyebrows furrowed. "You don't..."

"Do I...is it possible that we've met before?" Arthur knew it was completely ridiculous, but he couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Arthur..." Alfred groaned, placing his hands on the floor again as Arthur sat against the door. "Arthur, I know I did something terrible, but this is too cruel...but..." Alfred's lips twitched upwards in a weak, bitter smile. "I guess I deserve it, huh? All of it." His eyes darkened, and silence fell. A suspicion had occurred to Arthur a while ago, and he deemed now the best time to test it. Slowly, silently, he stood up, and he quickly waved his hand in front of Alfred's face.

But Alfred's eyes didn't even twitch. They remained fixed, gazing at the door.

"You're blind."

Alfred gave him a small smile. "Couldn't hide it well, huh?"

Arthur's eyes widened. "Why on earth would you try to _hide_ a condition like that? How...you were able to see perfectly fine before..." Arthur sat down again, puzzled, facing Alfred as he waited for an explanation.

"I..." Alfred bit his lip, frowning as his hands roamed across the wooden floor. Suddenly, he furrowed his eyebrows in pain, seeming to realize something. "Arthur, you have to...you have to stay away from me."

"...What?"

Alfred suddenly reached out, groping blindly until he found and gripped Arthur's hands, frantic. "Arthur, listen to me. You have to go back. I'll...I'll hurt you, Arthur, please don't let me touch you-"

"Wait, stop...Alfred, calm down, if you can just explain..."

"No - what...what time is it?"

Arthur looked at the clock on the wall. 12:13 AM.

"A-At 12:30...at 12:30..." Alfred's voice shook, and he squeezed his eyes shut, trembling as he shook as head. Suddenly, his eyes gazed in Arthur's direction. "You have to stay away."

From an impulse that felt like it wasn't his own, and yet it was, so, _intrinsically_ his, he reached out and grabbed Alfred's shoulders. Alfred's eyes widened in surprise, and for once Arthur was glad Alfred was blind so he couldn't see how much Arthur was blushing.

"Alfred, _listen to me_. I honestly have no idea what is happening right now, but I do know this - you told me to never leave you again, yet now you're telling me to stay away from you? I don't know if I'm truly the person you're-"

"You are." Alfred's interrupted, his voice hard. "I know that without having to see anything."

"Regardless of who I am or what you are, I'm not leaving you, Alfred. Whatever...whatever problem you're dealing with, you're clearly in no condition to sort it out yourself." Arthur's voice grew gentler as he continued. "Please, Alfred. If you just explain to me-!"

Arthur was cut off by another tight embrace, eliciting a gasp of surprise from Arthur.

"Arthur..." Alfred's voice was gentle and soft, though pure joy radiated from him. "Arthur, I'm so happy, Arthur...you're really...here with me..."

Arthur smiled, despite himself. Why did this feel so natural? He instantly mentally rebuked himself. He shouldn't be enjoying this, and he _definitely_ shouldn't feel the urge to lean into Alfred and hug him back...

"It doesn't matter now...I've seen you, Arthur, I got to see you again, and I have to tell you now...I-I never told you before, but I'm..." Alfred separated himself and gazed at Arthur's direction with a level of sorrow that Arthur never knew a man could hold. "I need to tell you. I'm the reason you got captured. I-I just thought you...and _him_..." Alfred suddenly winced, clutching at his hand.

"...I have to go." He stopped abruptly as he stood up, and Arthur rose with him.

"Are you...are you going back to your room?"

"I..." Alfred suddenly looked lost. "I don't know where it is."

Arthur gently held his hand. "Tell me. I'll lead you there."

Alfred nodded, looking hesitant, but his hand squeezed Arthur's. "I..." He paused suddenly. "I think I remember...does this house have two floors?"

"Yes. I think...I believe Elizaveta told me your room was upstairs."

"It is."

Silently, so as not to make a lot of noise, although he was surprised their conversation hadn't woken the other two up already, Arthur slowly led Alfred across the house towards the staircase. It was Arthur's first time seeing that part of the house as well, and the dim light didn't help whatsoever, but he managed to find it and lead Alfred up.

Alfred gripped the railing with one hand and held Arthur's hand in the other, managing to climb the stairs without a problem.

* * *

The last room at the end of the hall was Alfred's. Arthur slowly turned the doorknob and opened it, leading Alfred inside. Suddenly, he gently took Arthur's arm, rubbing the skin in circular motions with his thumb. Arthur winced. "You didn't tell me you hurt your arm."

Arthur's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you...it didn't occur to me that I should." Preoccupied with Alfred, Arthur had honestly forgotten about the pain in his forearm.

Alfred frowned. "Tell me anything, everything, Arthur..." he murmured softly. He slowly, gently traced along Arthur's arm up to his shoulder, and then glided across his collarbone and neck to his face. He reached out with his other arm and cupped Arthur's face before running his hands through Arthur's hair. He suddenly let out a chuckle.

"I still can't believe you're real."

Arthur snorted. "Well, I'm here in front of you, aren't I?" His mind told him to push Alfred away, to stop those wonderful hands from painting an image of Arthur in Alfred's mind, but he stood motionless.

"I prayed every day, you know. Even if you hated me. Even if you would never forgive me. I...needed to see you again."

Alfred suddenly choked, doubling over in pain.

"Alfred!" Arthur immediately bent down, holding him steadily. "Are you all right? What's happening?"

"L-Leave..." Alfred wheezed. "Please, Arthur..." With the last of his strength, Alfred surged towards the door, gripping Arthur's arm, and pushed him out. Arthur heard the door close and the lock click before he could react.

"Alfred!" Arthur whispered, knocking on the door as quietly as he could. He knew Alfred could hear him. All he heard was shuffling and the strain of bed springs, and Arthur realized Alfred had probably gone to lie down.

Worry and confusion surged through his veins, and Arthur desperately hoped Alfred would be okay. He stood stubbornly outside the door for what seemed like forever, hoping that Alfred would open the door.

But he never did.


	4. Heart

_Hi everyone! Sorry for the incredibly long wait. Things got really busy and...a lot of things were deleted. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the next chapter!_

* * *

"Oh, will you _please_ stop that tapping!"

Gilbert's hand froze, and he slowly drew it up onto his lap. Elizaveta's eyes flared again before she turned to Arthur, her gaze softening. "Sorry, dear. It's been a long morning."

Arthur shook his head, smiling slightly. "No trouble at all." His back rested against the mahogany bed frame as he looked out the window.

It was around noon, and Arthur still couldn't believe what had happened last night. His thoughts swam with Alfred, only thoughts of Alfred, how he was doing, what his change meant...and who he would be meeting in the morning. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? Was it a dream? He couldn't sleep at all afterwards, and he hadn't remembered dozing off, so it couldn't have been a dream. Elizaveta came down just before the sun rose, and she seemed surprised that he was awake.

Gilbert was lounging on the chair across from the bed, his hand drifting down to the side of the chair again as he started tapping it unconsciously. He was buried in another magazine, although his eyes seemed vacant and a bit bored. Elizaveta came back from the kitchen with a frying pan.

"Sweetie?"

Gilbert's lips quirked up in a grin, but his eyes didn't move from the page. "Yeah, babycakes?"

Arthur froze, watching her with wide eyes as she encroached on him.

"You have three seconds," she giggled sweetly, swinging her hitting arm in a circle. "Three...two..."

Gilbert seemed to realize his predicament as he tossed the magazine to the floor, backflipping over the chair in his attempt to escape. He jumped onto the bed beside Arthur, pushing Arthur towards Elizaveta. "Take him!"

"Awww, are you offering a human as sacrifice instead? You know I'd never hurt Arthur dearest," she said, her voice sweet yet cold. Her eyes were dark as they flashed towards Gilbert again. "But _you,_ on the other hand...might I remind you whose fault this all is?"

Gilbert's panicked expression dropped instantly as he frowned, his face falling. His expression was so uncharacteristically severe that he seemed years older. His gaze fell to the ground as he slowly shifted to the edge of the bed. "Yeah, I get it, Liz." He got up tiredly, picking up his magazine as he left through the hall, his steps echoing.

"I bet it was too much," Elizaveta whispered, a wistful expression on her face. Suddenly, she turned to Arthur, a bright smile on her face. "Anyway. Lots of work to do today! For you."

Arthur blinked. "Pardon?"

"You. Have. To. Survive." She pronounced each word carefully with a sympathetic smile on her face. "For all of us."

There were too many vague implications floating around since yesterday, and Arthur furrowed his eyebrows in frustration. Firstly, he didn't fully understand why they had imprisoned him. Secondly, he didn't understand Alfred at all, nor did he understand what had happened last night. His heart and his mind united in their refusal to let Arthur forget what he had seen, the tears, the emotion, the _love _that he had never seen in someone else before. And thirdly, he didn't understand why Elizaveta cared for him so much. If he was really such a threat, why would they not just...eat him, or dispose of him, or something or the sort? It was a lot easier than keeping him alive.

"C-Can I help you in any way? Or...is Gilbert all right?" he asked tentatively, standing up and walking towards her slowly. His arm felt surprisingly good, but echoes of the pain still remained. Still, it had only been a day, and it had healed unnaturally quickly. Arthur had never had a particularly sturdy body - his brothers jibing him for his "frail" stature had reduced his self confidence to nothing - but healing this quickly was simply ridiculous.

Elizaveta's smile faltered. "Hmm. He'll be all right. Just...lemon drops in the wound, as it were."

"What was his fault?" Arthur asked carefully, choosing a direct approach.

Elizaveta opened her mouth, about to respond, but clamped her mouth shut again as the two heard someone heavily stomping down the stairs. Arthur gulped, squeezing his hands into fists. He wasn't ready, but he had to be. He had to confront whoever was coming down those stairs. He suddenly felt cold, almost shaking in anticipation.

"That would be Alfred," Elizaveta sighed to herself. She suddenly looked lost, her eyes darting from Arthur to the doorway. "I-I'm here for you," she said softly, her eyes betraying a hidden confusion and weakness as she took Arthur's hand and gave it a squeeze. She quickly broke away and strode into the kitchen, leaving the door open to hear their conversation.

It's okay. It was going to be all right. Arthur took a deep breath, calming himself. He'd been so weak since yesterday that he was forcing Elizaveta to protect him - but he knew better now. He was strong. He was Arthur bloody Kirkland and he wouldn't allow this demon to push him around. But what if the other Alfred came instead?

But...that Alfred couldn't see. His heart began to beat erratically. He quickly quelled it by focusing on confronting the demon Alfred.

His resolve steeled, he eyes the doorway with a hard glare, and soon enough he was greeted by blood red.

"I see my little lion likes the morning," Alfred said, a slight smirk in his face. "Slept well?"

Did he not remember? Was it all a trick to unhinge him, to get close to him so he could exploit his weaknesses? Cold hatred settled in the bottom of Arthur's stomach.

"As well as can be expected, living in a house with three demons," Arthur sighed, looking Alfred up and down. "And yourself? Sauntering in here at noon...I suppose you had a late night."

Alfred's eyes flashed dangerously. "Ah, I remember...Liz, we need a collar for our pet, here."

Whether Elizaveta heard or not, she chose not to respond. Alfred didn't seemed fazed.

"And after that?" Arthur crossed his arms over his chest. _No. You have to be bigger. _He stood up straighter, putting his hands casually on his hips.

"After what?" Alfred seemed a bit annoyed, and took a couple of steps towards Arthur. Arthur stood his ground.

"You saw me. What happened then, may I ask?" Arthur challenged, his gaze unwavering.

Alfred blinked, and for a second Arthur thought he caught a sliver of confusion in his eyes. But it was quickly smothered by Alfred's endless supply of arrogance.

"Does it matter? That's a win for me, and nothing for you. So you starve today."

So _that's_ how he dealt with problems. Ignoring them. Arthur could have laughed at his childishness.

"Fair enough," Arthur pretended to shrug, nonchalantly walking towards the kitchen. "I suppose I'll go let Elizaveta know, then. That you intend to starve your prisoner."

Arthur didn't make it very far before he felt his arms wrench behind him as he most definitely did not let out a yelp.

"What are you -"

"Come on," Alfred crooned, his nails digging into Arthur's skin, "Show me some of what you showed me yesterday. What you showed me last _night_," he growled as he spun Arthur around so that they were face to face.

Before he could speak, Arthur knew that Alfred read him like a book. Saw the fear, saw his ears go pink, saw his eyes wide and searching - anxious at what Alfred would do next. Alfred knew he had power, and he was enjoying it.

"Unhand me," Arthur said quickly, struggling to free himself. "I'm warning you now."

"Warning me of what, Arthur?"

Why did he always feel a chill shoot through his spine every time Alfred said his name? Arthur froze instinctually.

"T-That I'm tougher than I look," he managed.

Alfred laughed at that. Even Arthur knew he didn't sound convincing.

_The strange feeling turns into an unbearable longing_

_I would follow you to the end of forever..._

Arthur squeezed his eyes shut, the words ringing in his ears as a searing headache almost made him collapse. But Alfred was holding him up, and Arthur quickly regained his footing, shaking his head to clear his mind. Why _now_, of all times?

"Not tough enough," Alfred noted, a twisted smile on his face.

Arthur's eyes darted to the kitchen, but he knew he shouldn't rely on Elizaveta. He had to stand his ground.

He suddenly gave Alfred the most gentlemanly smile he could manage as he rammed his knee into Alfred's leg, using Alfred's split second of surprise to yank his arms away and run across the room, panting.

But Alfred only seemed more amused, more delighted, as he strode over to Arthur again.

But Elizaveta came then, as promised, with a frying pan in her hand. "Al, would you be a dear and finish frying the mushrooms?"

Alfred stopped in his tracks.

"Finish frying them yourself."

"Al. You. Kitchen. _Now."_

Alfred made a _tch _noise as he spun around, skulking towards the kitchen as if his favorite toy was taken away from him.

"Elizaveta," Arthur sighed in relief, walking over to her. "Thank you, and I apologize for this...I really should be able to handle this sort of thing on my own, but I -"

Elizaveta smiled at him. "Call me Liz, Arthur. And...at least we know he won't kill you now."

Arthur frowned. "Do we?"

She smiled. "He likes you, our Al."

Gilbert came into the room, adding, "Yup, he definitely does. You know he gets tired of all the girls, like, an hour after he meets them? He's not even dating you and he's still teasing you after a day."

Arthur flushed at that. "W-Why would...what are you implying?" he spluttered, at a loss for words. "And that hardly qualifies as teasing! He's constantly threatening to kill me!"

"Nah, he probably thinks its funny watching you squirm," Gil said dismissively, sitting down on his chair again. He seemed to be in a better mood, and the darkness in his eyes from earlier that morning had seemingly vanished.

"Well, I certainly don't find it amusing in the least," Arthur snapped, sighing. "Nor do I understand why I'm being imprisoned here." He looked out the window wistfully, the verdant trees swaying in the breeze, so tantalizingly close...He could just smell the fresh air that he was denied. But every time he thought about escape, every time he yearned from his freedom, images of Alfred, his desperation, his sorrow, flashed in the back of his mind. He pushed them down again, refusing to devote any more time to the monster. Or was he?

He turned to see Elizaveta's reaction, and was glad to see that there was a hint of nervousness in her eyes. Was she feeling guilty? Would she let him go? His heartbeat sped up in anticipation.

He still had to convince himself this wasn't a bizarre dream.

"Sorry, dear," she said, two simple words that dashed his hopes unbelievably quickly. Arthur let out a sigh, looking around the room with tired eyes.

"Might I have something to read?" he asked after a while. "Anything will do."

"In that case -" Elizaveta cut Gilbert off before he could finish.

"We do have a small library," she said slowly, giving Arthur a sympathetic smile. "Why don't we head on over there after lunch?"

* * *

Five days. It had only been five days, and yet Arthur felt like it had been an eternity locked up in this quite literally godforsaken house.

Lounging in a chair in the library, he wearily picked up another book from the stack on the table next to him of works he had selected to read for the day. Anything to distract him from the fact that he was imprisoned by three unpredictable demons.

At least Elizaveta was kind to him. Gilbert often teased him, muttered vague phrases or simply left him alone, while Alfred...

A shiver ran down Arthur's spine just thinking about him.

He still wasn't sure whether Alfred truly did intend to kill him one day, or if Arthur was just an endless source of amusement for him. But Arthur did know that he was intelligent - a quick learner - and he was beginning to get a hold on how to handle the brute.

Step for step. Jab for jab. And no matter how strong Alfred was, he could always win battles with his wits.

He had gotten halfway through the prologue when his book was rudely snatched from him, and he looked up wearily to find Alfred gazing down at him, a bored expression on his face. And bored for Alfred meant cold, unamused, and threatening.

"Reading again? What's the point of this boring shit anyway?" Alfred asked, tossing the book over his shoulder. Arthur sighed, not bothering to stand up.

"Some people appreciate the finer things in life. Ah, pardon me. People, not _demons_," Arthur sneered, a cocky smile on his face. "So I wouldn't expect you to understand."

It was a game, really. Learning when to respond, when to ignore, when to force himself to calm down...it was a good break from the novels he'd been burying himself in.

Alfred's eyes grew a bit wider as a caustic grin lit up his face. "_Understand_? _You're _the one who doesn't understand, little lion. What situation you're in."

Arthur immediately stood up, challenging Alfred's gaze. "Oh? Pray tell."

Occasionally his eyes would betray him. Occasionally he'd see a flash of blond, a hint of blue, but all too soon he'd be reminded that the demon in front of him was merciless, sadistic, and had quite possibly played a nasty trick on him a few nights ago. His little stint, transforming, telling him he _loved_ him.

But a part of Arthur knew that it wasn't a trick. He was just too weak to accept it, to accept the fact that there was so much more to Alfred than the cruel monster he had to deal with day after day.

Elizaveta had told him he had to survive. And he had a bad feeling that he wouldn't last much longer if he stayed involved with Alfred.

Alfred seemed to freeze for a second, not responding. Arthur frowned.

"There's a..." he trailed off, his voice, usually so confident, sounded lost and confused. "Why..." He suddenly reached out to Arthur's face, and Arthur instantly backed up, miscalculating the distance and falling back into the chair. His arms fell onto the armrests as he stared up at Alfred, waiting for his next move.

Alfred stared down at him, his hands leaning on the armrest, pinning Arthur's wrists to the chair, as he leaned forward, his eyes wide and fixed on Arthur's cheek. Arthur blinked several times, feeling heat rise to his face.

"Do I have something on me?"

_Every moment, it's harder to restrain myself..._

Arthur pushed the melody down; he couldn't afford to be distracted. "L-Let go of me!"

Alfred suddenly recoiled, releasing Arthur's hands as he reached out for Arthur's neck. His fingers danced across the bruises he had left the previous day, and Arthur winced as he recalled how Alfred had almost strangled him after he had talked back to him in the hallway.

"I did this."

It was a statement. It wasn't a question. But his voice was not triumphant, it wasn't gleeful, it held no arrogance nor sadism. It was empty. _Why is it empty?_

He suddenly jerked Arthur's chin upwards until they were inches apart, and Alfred had practically climbed onto the chair, his knee in between Arthur's legs. Arthur knew that escape was out of the question.

"Why aren't you afraid of me?" Alfred asked softly, almost gently, a slight frown on his face. His voice was lower than usual.

Arthur was paralyzed, his eyes searching, seeking as green met blue.

"Because you don't deserve it."

Their gazes were locked, neither backing down. Arthur felt as if time had stopped. Neither moved, each waiting for the other's response, in tune with each other for the first time, evenly matched.

It was only then that Arthur realized Elizaveta and Gilbert were talking in the hallway, and he could hear their voices clearly.

"...but he still wants to leave..."

"Give him time, Liz. He'll come around, you'll see."

A pause. "And if he doesn't?"

"We've come too far now. If he doesn't, we're all dead."

Arthur's heart thundered in his chest. What was the reason they didn't want him to leave? Alfred seemed to notice Arthur was distracted, and leaned away from him, although he still remained in his position on the chair.

Alfred, to Arthur's surprise, seemed interested as well, his blue eyes eyeing the doorway.

"I-I want to...believe, Gil. So badly." Elizaveta sounded broken. Lost. So full of sorrow that Arthur's heart twinged painfully.

"And you can," came Gilbert's soft response. "If it comes down to it, I will take responsibility."

A scoff. "You never take responsibility for anything."

"Don't I? Was _this_ not responsibility enough?"

...

"And we've waited so, _so _long for this...and Al..."

Alfred straightened, slowly getting off the chair as he walked towards the doorway. He turned back to Arthur suddenly, a finger over his lips. Arthur felt a bit irritated - of course he wouldn't speak, he wanted to listen too - but he simply nodded, his eyes trained on the doorway.

"He isn't a monster, Liz."

"B-But..._it's _so strong..."

"What is?" Alfred interrupted, walking out the door and towards the hallway. Arthur sucked in his breath in surprise as he cautiously stood up and followed him, still staying hidden in the library.

"O-Oh, Alfred!" Elizaveta attempted a cheery voice. "Were you spending time with Arthur?"

"Hardly." Alfred sneered. "He prefers his books to me."

"Oh, I'm sure that isn't true," Elizaveta responded sweetly. "Right, Arthur dear? Come out, won't you?"

His heart threatening to leap out of his chest, Arthur came out guiltily, his arms crossed over his chest.

So Alfred didn't know what was going on, either. Although the three seemed to have lived together for a while, it seemed there were things even _Alfred_ didn't know. That he was dying to know. He felt a little bit better, knowing he had support in his attempts to find out the secrets of the household.

"I guess we were a bit loud," Gilbert said after a while, his eyes locked on the floor. "Whatever." He yawned, turning around. "None of your business." And later, quieter, "It's all mine."

Nobody stopped him as he walked away. Seconds later, Elizaveta smiled at Arthur and Alfred before she followed him.

Alfred stood motionless. Then he whirled on Arthur, reckless fury in his eyes. He cornered Arthur against the wall.

"What is it?!"

"What is _what_?"

"What is it you have that they want?" Alfred hissed, punching his fist to the right side of Arthur's head. Arthur could feel himself beginning to sweat as Alfred leaned closer, way too close...

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Arthur retorted, pushing on his chest. "And get away from me!"

"Always to your lonely little books," Alfred crooned condescendingly, pushing on Arthur's hand and regaining the small distance between them.

Arthur frowned, thoughts racing. Alfred was attacking him out of defense, as an alternate path to let out his confusion and frustration. Arthur's eyes softened considerably as he thought about it, and Alfred's eyes widened in response, confusion evident.

In the end, Alfred just didn't know how to deal with himself. His feelings. His thoughts.

That made two of them.

"How long have you been with them?" Arthur asked.

"Those two? Why does it matter?"

"You answer me, and I'll answer you," Arthur said, huffing as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Alfred seemed amused. "All right. I'll bite, little lion. In this house...ten years. Maybe twenty. Give or take. But we're demons. Time doesn't really matter."

Arthur couldn't believe they had been living there almost as long as he'd been alive, but for some reason it made sense. With what Elizaveta was saying earlier, about having waited "so long" for something.

"And you don't age?"

"Nice try." Alfred smirked. "Your question is over. My turn. What do you have that they want?"

"A heart," Arthur blurted out without thinking, and he looked up at Alfred, surprise evident in his eyes.

Alfred stood dumbfounded for a couple of seconds before bursting out into laughter.

"A _heart_?! If they just wanted a heart they would have killed you and took it! A _heart_, he says!" Alfred hunched over, laughing for a good minute before he stood up again, his eyes slightly brighter - but not in a terrifying way. He regarded Arthur with amusement before he suddenly laid his hand on Arthur's cheek.

"A heart, huh..."

His hand dropped quickly as he spun around and walked away. Arthur followed him, thoughts muddled, as he wondered what he had just gotten himself into.


	5. Weakness

_Hi everyone! I'm releasing this chapter early as an apology for making you guys wait so long for the last one...I hope you enjoy it! Reviews are much appreciated, and thank you to all of you who have done so already! ^u^_

* * *

"Ah-CHOO!"

"Shall I fetch the tissues for you?" Arthur offered, standing up and going into the kitchen without waiting for a response.

"Oh, thank you, Arthur dear," Elizaveta sighed, massaging her temples with her pointer fingers. "So strange...we don't normally fall ill..."

Well, in the three weeks since Arthur had been imprisoned, that proved to be true. Besides Alfred, Elizaveta and Gilbert seemed to sleep at odd hours of the day, and sometimes didn't even sleep at all. Arthur felt a pang in his chest as he thought of Alfred, but, as always, he pushed it back down.

"You've run out," Arthur commented, scratching his head. He decided to go get the tissue box in his room.

His room. For the first week of his "stay," he had been forced to sleep in the main living room, and after the first night he had been watched by either Elizaveta or Gilbert constantly. Even when he was in the library, usually one of them stood in the hallway to make sure he didn't leave. Arthur felt a bit hurt that their trust was so low even though they treated him kindly, but he supposed it was a smart move on their decision - after all, Arthur had tried to escape several times since his first failed attempt. Alfred had stopped him a couple times - the bloody brute seemed to have a radar that went off every time Arthur tried to escape - but Elizaveta and Gilbert had caught him as well, gently reprimanding him.

But soon, they gave him a room on the first floor(with no windows, of course), near the end of the hallway and close to the stairs. It was small, and Elizaveta apologized for the lack of space, but Arthur was grateful. Personal space. Time to himself. An ability to lock the door, to leave him to his mind, to truly feel isolated. Besides letting him go, it was honestly one of the best things they could have done for him.

And while Alfred could physically disturb him in the library, Alfred could only pound on the door while Arthur retreated into himself, lost in his thoughts.

But almost every time he opened the door, he found one of them standing outside. Usually it was Gilbert, who tried to strike up some sort of conversation to disguise the fact that he was...well...guarding him.

As Arthur walked down the hallway, he saw Gilbert climbing down the stairs, yawning.

"Good morning, Gilbert," Arthur greeted, continuing his walk. He'd grown used to Elizaveta and Gilbert now, and almost knew them as well as he knew Francis - although he didn't want to know Francis that well in the first place. He shuddered at the thought of him.

"Uh...oh, Arthur. Yeah, morning." He yawned again, his eyes unfocused. "Liz is still sick?"

Arthur nodded, going into his room and grabbing the tissue box. Gilbert waited in the doorway.

Arthur decided now was the best time to ask. "Why are you guarding me?" he demanded, his arms crossed over his chest. "You know that I know better than to try to escape."

Gilbert blinked, the tips of his mouth quirked upwards. "Shit, we know you know."

"Then what is the reason for this?"

Gilbert's face fell a bit. "Don't worry about it, Art." He turned around and motioned for Arthur to follow him as he made his way back to the living room. Propelled by indignation, Arthur rushed towards him, grabbing his shoulder as he forcibly stopped him.

"Wait, Gilbert."

Gilbert turned around, his eyes wide.

"Why won't you two _tell _me anything? If you expect me to do more than just waste away perusing endless piles of books and occasionally bantering with Alfred, you're going to have to tell me!" Arthur exclaimed, his eyebrows furrowed. "Whatever you and Liz are hiding, I'm clearly a part of it, and I think that I've been here long enough to have earned the place to demand some damn answers!"

He heard a whistle behind him, and turned to see Alfred climbing down the stairs.

"Awww, you made him mad," Alfred laughed, a lopsided smirk on his face. "What'd ya do now, Gil?"

Gilbert shrugged, grinning. "Whatever I do, I do for you two." He looked at Arthur then, his eyes serious, as he continued to walk to the living room.

"And I suppose _you_ know what's going on?" Arthur huffed, glaring at Alfred. "And I didn't realize that this household had such late risers."

"...Late night last night," Alfred admitted as he walked with Arthur.

Arthur felt his heartbeat speed up in his chest. Alfred hadn't changed a lot since Arthur had met him, but in some moments, he could feel as if the...barrier, for lack of a better word, between them was slowly shrinking. Usually, Alfred would always be defensive, teasing and attacking Arthur whenever he got the chance, but now he felt as if Alfred was beginning to trust him - if demons were capable of trust. Which he highly doubted.

"Watching too many movies?" Arthur teased, recalling how Alfred had mentioned his admiration for cinema several times over the past weeks.

"Nah. Are you interested in my tastes, little lion?" he asked, suddenly turning on Arthur, his eyes glinting.

"I don't have to ask you to know. Let's see here...you probably enjoy supernatural films? Seeing humans torn apart by vampires, werewolves, and the like?"

"And falling in love with them," Alfred finished, an unamused expression on his face. His eyes bore into Arthur's, and Arthur sped up his pace, turning his head away. He didn't know why.

Liz's face was filled with relief as he gave the box to her, a slight smile on his face. "Sorry for the wait."

She smiled, but her skin was less radiant than usual, her eyes tired and moist. She slowly drew out a tissue, looking at it blankly.

"Gil," she called, her voice rising. Gilbert poked his head out of the kitchen.

"T-This house," she said slowly, blowing her nose. "Al is feeling it too. We need to...to do something..." Her eyes closed suddenly, and she fell over, crashing to the ground with a painful _thump_.

Gilbert's eyes widened as his pupils became slits. He rushed over to her immediately, sitting down and dragging her head and shoulders into his lap.

"Liz...Liz!" he shouted, running his hands over her cheeks.

Arthur stood dumbfounded. He had never seen Gil care so much for anything before. But it made sense. As much as the two bickered, he sensed that there was more than just friendship between them.

Alfred seemed shocked too, his eyes wide and his jaw clenched. Arthur and Alfred knelt beside Elizaveta, Arthur tentatively pressing his hand to her forehead.

"She has a fever," he said, frowning. "She must be extremely tired to have passed out."

"We don't get tired," Alfred cut in harshly, shock evident in his voice. "What the fuck?"

"We've already established that, so something must be off!" Arthur snapped, green eyes glaring at red. "Hurry up and get me a cold towel! And let me go fetch some medicine-"

"Nice try," Alfred interrupted, a frown creasing his forehead. "You won't be escaping."

Arthur tried to quell the rage that was building up. "I appreciate the sentiment," he hissed, his voice rising, "but as we have more important things to address, I suggest we get a move on and treat her or its very likely she'll need more help than two idiots and an editor can offer! Now, if you're _really_ so stubborn, why don't you accompany me so we can get there as soon as possible?"

A flicker of interest and confusion lit up Alfred's eyes for a brief moment. Arthur was breathing heavily; he had never shouted at Alfred before but didn't have time to regret it. It surprised him how little he cared.

"Are we going?" Arthur asked, standing up irritatedly, his voice wavering slightly.

Alfred smirked. "As you wish, little prince."

Suddenly, the ground disappeared beneath him as Alfred swept him off of his feet, carrying him securely in his arms.

"W-What," Arthur began, at a loss for words. "What are you doing?! Let me down!" He struggled, flailing his legs, but Alfred's grip was like iron on his upper back and behind his knees.

"Shh," Alfred whispered, delighted at Arthur's embarrassment, a twinkle of something Arthur couldn't understand in his eyes. "It's faster this way."

Gilbert cackled as Alfred sped out of the room, opening the door.

"A-Alfred," Arthur began, but was cut off by the fresh air that was surrounding him.

He was outside. After almost a month, he was outside again, and to say the fresh air was a luxury was an understatement.

It gave him life again. He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath in, his body going limp as he drew in the smell of the trees, the gentle sound of the wind rustling leaves, the chirps of the birds and the heat of the sun. He felt so grateful, and he lost himself in the moment.

When he opened his eyes, he found Alfred looking curiously at him. Arthur flushed at the intensity of his stare, shrinking a bit as he pushed on Alfred's chest lightly.

"W-What is it?"

"What are you doing?"

Arthur blinked. "Pardon?"

Alfred pursed his lips, then opened them again. "You looked..." he trailed off, then stopped again. He looked up at the sky.

"What's so great about it anyway?"

"About what?"

Alfred looked around. "This."

Was he referring to the outside? Nature? Arthur frowned a bit.

"It's life, Alfred. Everything that makes us who we are."

Arthur didn't fully understand why he pressed his hand to Alfred's chest suddenly, where his heart would have been. Alfred's gaze shot downwards, then into Arthur's eyes. "The same thing that makes this beat." He paused. "You should give it a chance, Mr. High-and-Mighty."

"You're cute."

"E-Excuse me?" Arthur spluttered, his face growing even redder. Alfred seemed to take delight in this.

"Aww, my little lion is flattered so easily."

"I-I'm not _flattered_, you git, and I thought we went over this! Now let me down!" Arthur struggled again, but to no avail.

"I don't _want_ to," Alfred drawled, pretending as if he were bored.

"Have it your way then, but Elizaveta is suffering in there, and -"

"All right, all right, you'll get your punishment later. Let's go and -"

"Hold on a minute! What _punishment? _For what?"

"You just said you wanted to get going!"

"I did say that, but then you mentioned something totally uncalled for, and I believe that -"

"We're going," Alfred announced, tightening his grip on Arthur as black wings sprouted from his back. Arthur was shielded from the sun by the enormous wings as Alfred glanced down at him, smirking.

"You like what you see?"

Arthur could see the bones in his wings, while the skin was so thin he could see the veins. It reminded him of a bat's wings, and he couldn't tear his gaze away.

"I take that as a yes." With two huge beats of his wings, Alfred shot into the sky, and it was all Arthur could do not to scream.

"Scared?"

Arthur sneered at him, trying to focus on his face and not the hundred foot drop below him. "Hardly."

"Hmm." Alfred pretended not to be interested as he flew upwards, towards the cliff Arthur had stumbled off of all those days ago.

It was surreal, seeing it like this again. In the arms of a demon.

_'I want you to kiss me, I want you to remake me_

_I want to drown in this moment of captivation...'_

The song hit him like a tidal wave, emotion that seemed to not even belong to him washing over him with increasing intensity. It was too much. The height, the cliff, his old life merging with the new, in the hands of something he had denied and his heart fluttering with something he would never admit...

He drew his arms into his chest, squeezing his eyes shut.

It was okay. He'd be okay.

_What if I'm not? What if I slowly go insane, and all because of this tune I will never rid myself of? Everyone always said that I was different, I was weird, I'd never amount to anything, and now I can't even handle my mind and I fell off a cliff and all because of that I'm trapped by three demons..._

"Arthur?" came a low voice, and Arthur opened his teary eyes, looking up at Alfred.

_Why do I feel so sad?_

But there were tears now, too, and irritation swelled in him because he didn't know why. He never cried. Arthur Kirkland never cried.

"I-It's nothing," he managed quickly, but Alfred was frowning at him...and was that pain in his eyes?

He expected Alfred to tease him, but Alfred said nothing, his expression stony as he slowly made his way to the cliff, and beyond, over the forest towards the town that Arthur called home.

Was it even his home now?

They landed on a path just outside the town, Alfred's wings disappearing as he set Arthur down.

"Alfred? Are you all right?" Arthur had managed to suck up all his feelings and wipe away his tears, but Alfred had seemed...off ever since he started crying. "I apologize for startling you, it really wasn't like me..."

"It's such a waste of time," Alfred said finally, his eyes dark. "Feelings, crying, getting emotional over dumb shit. What does it do for you?" He turned on Arthur suddenly, his eyes narrowing. "And I thought you were _different_."

Pain blossomed in Arthur's chest as Alfred turned away from him.

"This was all a waste of time."

Suddenly, Alfred's wings appeared again, and he took off into the sky.

"Alfred!" called Arthur, his voice raw and desperate. "Alfred, come back!"

But he didn't, and Arthur knew he had lost him.

* * *

"Hey, man. You all right?"

That was the fifth person he'd bumped into today.

"Oh, pardon me. Apologies," Arthur murmured, sighing as he kept walking.

What had Alfred expected of him? Perhaps he'd thought he was strong, but after seeing Arthur weak, he had lost interest? Was _that_ it, then? Was this all a game?

Arthur laughed. He was a fool for thinking it was anything more.

His own weakness even pushed away a _demon_ \- he really was useless, wasn't he? His interests pushed away his family, his personality pushed away his friends, his desperation pushed away his only lover and now...his weakness pushed away the last person on earth he thought would reject him for tears.

He sighed, his body feeling incredibly heavy. He had felt so light in that demon's arms, and now...

He slapped himself. He needed to stop thinking about it. It was all over now. He was free, after all.

_But Elizaveta..._

What did it matter to him, now? Clearly he wasn't important anymore. Clearly he was a waste of time, he wasn't "different" and he couldn't do anything to help anyone. So why bother?

_No. That's wrong._

And he knew it.

But he was tired, so tired, and his eyes failed to alert him to his sixth physical encounter.

"Oof! Oh, dear, what have we here?"

Arthur's heart plummeted in his chest.

_Francis._

He fixed a cold glare on the blond, his violet eyes twinkling with mirth. But Francis frowned as he noticed Arthur's expression.

"What happened?"

"Out...out of my way, frog. None of your business."

Francis suddenly gripped his arm firmly, and Arthur tried to tug it away. "What? What do you want?"

"_None of my business? _You've been gone for _weeks_ and we're so inundated with requests and drafts that we've had to hire several part timers to deal with it! And you just waltz in here saying it's _none of my business_?"

Arthur winced. As always, Francis was right. That was what he hated about him.

Elizaveta's feverish face flashed in his mind again.

"I..."

Elizaveta, or work?

_I have to work. Francis is right. I have to get back to my daily life, forget about it..._

But his lips wouldn't form the words.

Francis' gaze softened. "You look like you're been through 'ell and back."

Arthur chuckled darkly. "I suppose I have."

He eyed a nearby tavern, and Francis followed his gaze, breaking into a smile.

"Once more, for old times' sake?" Francis offered, winking.

"It's the middle of the day!"

"That hasn't stopped you before."

"That was before."

"And you're telling me you've changed?"

He wasn't different. He was nothing, he was _useless_...

"No," Arthur said, a grin beginning to form on his face. "Not in the least."

* * *

"An' you know what?"

"_Mon dieu, _will you _stop_ complaining about him?"

"Ya know, that bloody tosser, he doesn't even have a bloody heart to complain about! And he complains about _mine! _What a...what a..."

"An idiot?" Francis offered, a slight smile on his face.

"_YES_. Even _worse_ than you!"

"I don't know whether I should be offended or not."

"Of course you should be, you...you..."

"Frog?" Francis said again tiredly.

"YES."

"Arthur, I think we're spent enough time..._catching up_." Francis slowly moved Arthur's drink away from him, warily looking outside the window. It was dark now, and the tavern was filled with noise, but...he felt as if something dark was watching them from outside the window. He always saw a black shadow in the back of his vision, but every time he turned to look it disappeared.

Maybe it was just the alcohol.

"ANOTHER."

"_Non_, Arthur..." Francis sighed, taking Arthur's arm and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Bloody - will you _let go of me_?!"

"Sorry," Francis laughed, circling his other arm around Arthur's waist. "You'll thank me in the morning."

"As if I would ever thank you, you insufferable -"

Francis didn't hear the rest of Arthur's insult, as the room suddenly went cold.

A man stood before him, his skin deathly pale and his black hair hanging over his face. He had uncanny, cold red eyes, and he seemed angry. Angry wasn't the word for it. More like...enraged.

"C-Can I help you?" offered Francis with a slight smile. "Ah, as you can see, I'm a bit preoccupied..."

"Drop him."

"Excuse me?"

The man rushed towards Francis, and Francis barely had any time to react as he punched Francis in the stomach. Francis dropped Arthur as he doubled over, coughing up blood.

"Ay, someone's try'na start a fight over here!"

"Let me in on that!"

And chaos soon broke out in the tavern, tossing bottles and fists and punches for the sheer pleasure of it. Francis lost Arthur in the crowd as he struggled to escape the mess, his eyes frantic.

And when everything calmed down again, Francis only noticed one thing.

That the stranger and Arthur were gone.

* * *

When Arthur woke up again, he had a splitting headache, and he couldn't see anything. It was dark. Was it already night? His brain moved sluggishly as he sat up, noticing that it was cold - he must be outside.

_Outside. _Arthur nearly jumped. How had he escaped?

And slowly, the events of the previous day rushed over him. Alfred had left him. Elizaveta was sick. _Alfred was gone._

It was only then that he noticed a pair of blue eyes gazing at him through the darkness.

"Alfred!" Arthur gasped, and Alfred broke out into a smile.

"I thought it was you."

"Y-You...you're..."

"I hurt you again, didn't I?"

He suddenly remembered Alfred's curt rejection, and he felt his heart grow heavy. Why did he care so much?

"N-No, not at all," Arthur said quickly, frowning. It wasn't...it wasn't _this_ Alfred that had hurt him, after all. But now he knew he hadn't hallucinated that first night. "What...what happened?"

Alfred grew silent for a moment. "I think..." He scratched his head. "I think...something happened...I just...I just found you like this. Well, from what I could tell it was you; your voice told me everything."

Arthur frowned, trying to remember what had happened. He remembered meeting Francis..._oh_.

The tavern.

But Alfred had left him in the morning...and according to...well, Alfred, he had somehow been taken away from the tavern...

Did Alfred come back for him? His heart thudded in his chest at the prospect of it.

"Are you all right?" Alfred reached out for him, accidentally touching his neck as he tried to reach for his face. "I-I can..." Alfred squinted. "I can see you. You're like...you're kinda a blob. And there's dark stuff around you, but I can kinda see where you're at."

Arthur stared at him. "You mean..."

Alfred frowned. "I-I know that I'm blind, but...it's weird...it's like, today, for the first time, I see a hint of color..."

"Who are you?" Arthur asked. The question was eating at him for so many weeks, and he knew that, out of anyone, Alfred would tell him.

Alfred shrunk back a bit, and Arthur instantly wondered whether he'd gone too far.

"I-I'm Alfred," Alfred said, his voice small. "You know that. Don't you?" He sounded broken. Unsure.

"You...you're not Alfred. You're...you're different, even down to your appearance..."

Alfred's eyes widened. "What?"

Arthur straightened up. "You were so pale before, with black hair, and your eyes..." Arthur peered at Alfred's eyes as they widened in confusion. "They're blue now. Beautiful." He hadn't meant to say that. He quickly rushed onwards, hoping he could quell his embarrassment. "A-Anyway, you're so...this isn't a trick, is it? Some sort of demon illusion?"

Alfred stared at him blankly. "What?"

"You're a demon."

Alfred's jaw dropped. "What?" It was almost comical, how surprised Alfred was. It couldn't be an act.

"Y-You, and Liz, and Gilbert...you all live together. You're all demons."

Alfred laughed uncertainly. "W-What are you talking about, Arthur? I know it's been a while, but..." Alfred reached for him again. Everything told Arthur to shrink back, to not be any more involved with him than he was...but he found himself leaning in, letting Alfred touch his face again. "You don't remember anything?"

"Of...what, Alfred?"

"Us."

Arthur frowned. "I don't understand. It seems that _you're_ the one who doesn't remember anything."

Alfred's face fell as his hands began to shake slightly.

"Of course you wouldn't remember. You..." His voice cracked, and Alfred winced. "You..."

He slowly opened his lips, taking in a silent breath before he began to sing.

"_A slender flame burns at the edge of my heart_

_Without warning, it spreads into a burning passion..._

_My butterfly, flitting around it chaotically_

_Scales dropping into your hand..."_

Arthur's eyes widened. _That melody..._

"Alfred, I-"

Suddenly, Alfred began to convulse, hunching over and groaning.

"Alfred!" Arthur bent towards him, a hand on his back. "Alfred, what's happening?"

He let out a cry of pain, and in the dim light, Arthur could see his hair changing, his skin becoming more visible, more pale...

He could run now. He would never have to face Alfred again. He could escape, he could go back to his old life.

But he didn't.

Arthur felt his heart drop as Alfred leaned up again, red meeting green.

Arthur stared at him, unblinking.

"We meet again, little lion."


	6. Alice

_Hello, everyone! Thank you for all of the reviews; it really means a lot to me and I really appreciate them!_

_I hope you enjoy the next chapter!_

* * *

Arthur inched up against the wall, flinching slightly at the cold stone. He wished he could melt into it, into oblivion, anything to escape the demon in front of him. He eyed Alfred with cold fury.

"What are you doing here?" Arthur snapped, his headache worsening second by second. Funny. He didn't even notice it with the _other_ Alfred.

"I see you had quite the adventure with your _friend_, there. Did he provide you a good shoulder to cry on?"

Arthur shut his eyes. He couldn't deal with this right now. Everything was so _confusing _and Alfred clearly didn't care about him anyway. In fact, Arthur was wondering why he was even wasting his time on him. Surely he could have picked up the medicine on his own and gone home.

He stood up suddenly, feeling woozy but powering through it nonetheless.

"It was a pleasure to meet you over the past weeks, Alfred," he said through gritted teeth, his eyes closed. "But I don't have time to talk with you anymore. I have a large amount of work I have to get to. And as I have my freedom," he said, opening as eyes and shooting Alfred another glare. "I suggest you go back to where you belong."

Every word cut into Arthur's heart, deeper and deeper, and he felt as if his words were doing more harm to himself than to Alfred. And it was absolutely infuriating.

Alfred's eyebrows furrowed as his eyes grew dangerous. "Oh?" He took a threatening step towards Arthur, forcing him to back into the wall. "You have _freedom_? Did you truly think you could escape?"

Arthur knew it was futile, but he returned Alfred's stare evenly. "You bloody brute, I'll _show _you -"

"Show me _what_, little lion?"

"I -" Arthur's voice faltered as Alfred suddenly leaned on Arthur, his head resting on Arthur's shoulder.

"I fucked up."

"Alfred...?"

"I fucked up, okay?!"

"What does that mean?"

"It means what it means."

"That doesn't make any sense! What did you do?"

"I...you..." Alfred leaned back, his expression unreadable. "I..." His eyes were averted, avoiding Arthur's gaze.

_I'm sorry. _The meaning was implicit, and Arthur suddenly understood everything. Alfred didn't know how to apologize. Or he did, and he was just being stubborn.

"And I apologize," Arthur said, his voice stronger than he felt, "for not being the one you were looking for."

Alfred's eyes shot up again. "What?"

"You told me so yourself," Arthur said, feeling uncannily calm. Resigned. At least Alfred knew that he had hurt him and had tried to apologize. "That I wasn't different. Clearly, you three made a mistake. I apologize for wasting your time."

"Shit, you're so annoying."

"_Excuse_ me?"

Arthur didn't know what was happening. One second he was staring at the ground in defeat, resigned; the next, Alfred's arms were around him in a tight embrace.

_...What?_

He felt no warmth from Alfred, but his heart thudded uncontrollably, warming him from his chest outwards.

In that moment, he felt right. It didn't make sense. Arthur's mind screamed for him to break away, to end this nonsense, but...his body refused to move.

"Never do that again," Alfred growled, his breath tickling the tips of Arthur's ears.

"Never do what again?"

"If you ever cry again, I'll kill you."

"_What_?"

"It annoys me. _You _annoy me. I should have just killed you when I first saw you. Now look at the mess I'm in."

"The mess _we're_ in, if I may say so. And the feeling is mutual, I assure you."

Alfred's arms tightened around him, and Arthur found himself leaning towards him.

But he knew it was wrong. It had to be wrong. He couldn't - wouldn't - admit it to himself. He couldn't repeat what had happened with Francis, what his desperation had led him to do.

_'I am drawn to you like a magnet..._

_Even if I left, we would find each other again..._

_I've touched you, I can never go back and that's just fine...'_

Until a sound jarred him from his thoughts, a sound so unbelievable that Arthur froze upon hearing it.

"Alfred..." Arthur stopped suddenly, his eyes growing wide.

"What?"

"Y-You said...you said you're a demon."

"...Yeah."

But the beat was unmistakable. A heartbeat, thudding in sync with his own.

_Alfred had a heart._

* * *

"I don't feel it!" Alfred exclaimed for the hundredth time. "Are you joking?"

"I'm not!" Arthur reached for Alfred's neck again, gently pressing his finger down. "I feel it! It's there, clear as day!"

"I told you, demons don't have hearts." He reached for Arthur suddenly, putting his hand on his neck, and Arthur froze as Alfred felt for his pulse.

"See, I feel _yours_. But me, I don't have one."

Was he hallucinating? He couldn't be. It was true that he hadn't sensed Alfred's heart when they had first met, and he was always so cold, but...it was there. Now, at least. He didn't know why he didn't feel it before. Or was his mind just playing tricks on him?

Was it even possible to have auditory hallucinations without being sick? Or maybe these three demons had finally driven him insane.

Arthur frowned, puzzled, as he leaned back. The sun was just beginning to rise, and more and more of Alfred was lit up for Arthur to see.

Alfred looked perplexed, his eyebrows knit in a frown. His hand was on his neck, and soon he moved it to his wrist, checking for some sign of a pulse.

"No. Nice try, though. Giving me a distraction so you could try to escape," he said sullenly, his gaze shifting to Arthur.

Arthur sighed. "How childish are you?"

He knew it was a fight he couldn't win. Was Alfred just denying it? He sighed again, standing up and stretching. "Well, we'd best head over to the pharmacy to pick up medicine for Elizaveta. I wonder how she is." Arthur felt guilt settle in the bottom of his stomach. They would have been back yesterday if they hadn't fought.

"She'll be fine," Alfred responded, following Arthur as he walked out of the alleyway. "Besides..."

Arthur suddenly spotted an eyewear store, and he tuned Alfred out as memories of the other Alfred surged through him.

_He said he could see spots of color..._Although it was unlikely, Alfred seemed to be able to see blobs rather than being completely blind, as he had told Arthur he was before. Would glasses help his vision? But he would have to bring Alfred in for a vision test, and there was no way he could do that...

"Hey," Alfred growled next to him, jabbing his side.

Arthur jumped, turning on him with a glare. "What?"

"You weren't paying attention."

"...Yes, I was."

"Really? What was I saying?"

"Not now, Alfred."

"What-"

"Ah, there it is."

Arthur hurried into the pharmacy, scanning the shelves.

"May I help you?"

The pharmacist looked up at him shyly from behind the counter. She had gentle, intelligent green eyes, much like Arthur's, with her blond hair tied up in two ponytails. She wore a couple of clips, and she was dressed in a beautiful blue dress with a white apron. She had a name tag on, and Arthur read that her name was Alice.

Arthur smiled at her. "Oh, you see, our friend has a fever..."

"Ah...that's unfortunate," she said, smiling as she rummaged behind the counter. "Hmm..."

A crashing sound caused Alice to jump and Arthur to whirl around in surprise. Alfred had dropped a bottle of oil, and the substance was slowly pooling on the floor amidst the broken glass.

"Oh dear," Alice sighed, rushing over with a broom and pan in hand. Arthur frowned slightly, thinking that she was uncannily calm in the face of an accident. Nonetheless, he was impressed by her professional attitude. She bent down, gently sweeping the glass into the pan. "Are you hurt, sir?"

Alfred snorted. "I don't get hurt."

Alice looked up at him, and Arthur watched them curiously. Alice had a deadpan expression on her face.

"You don't?"

"Nah." Alfred laughed, a lopsided smirk on his face as he watched her. "I'm not weak like the rest of you."

Arthur walked over to Alice, picking up a second broom in the corner and sweeping the rest of the shards into the pan as Alice stood up, her hands on her hips.

Alice's eyes narrowed. "Did you drop the oil on purpose, sir?"

"And if I did?"

Alfred was taunting her now, glee in his eyes. Arthur resisted the urge to smack him. He suddenly realized that, from Alice's view, she probably would have seen Alfred drop the oil. Arthur stood up suddenly, standing between Alice and Alfred.

"Enough is enough, Alfred," he said, his green eyes flashing warningly. "Remember where we are," he hissed quietly, giving him a small shove.

Arthur turned around to find that Alice was still glaring at Alfred.

"I-I apologize, he had a bit too much to drink at the tavern last night. He isn't himself. Do you still have any fever medication in stock?"

Alice was all kindness as she looked at Arthur. The change in her expression was astonishing.

"Of course, sir, I managed to find the last of it before," she said quickly, bending down again to pick up the pan. "I'll deal with the oil stains later, no need to worry about that. I've...had experience with that anyway. Now, how much did you need?"

"Whatever you have left," Alfred cut in.

"How much did you need, sir?" Alice asked again, looking at Arthur expectantly.

Arthur almost laughed. She was actually_ ignoring_ Alfred.

"Just one bottle," he managed, stifling his laughter.

Alfred stood brooding in the corner while Arthur and Alice chatted as he purchased the medicine.

"I really do apologize about him," Arthur said, a slight smile on his face. "He's not really...used to dealing with people."

Alice cracked a smile. "I noticed. He reminds me of...an...acquaintance, of mine..." she trailed off, frowning slightly. "A rambunctious girl, really. A troublemaker. She's done that more than I'd like to admit, all to get my attention. Dropping things, knocking into shelves..."

Arthur's eyebrows shot upwards. "What?"

Alice smiled even more as she remembered. "Yes. She finds it frustrating that I never pay attention to her - but really, why should she get special attention? She's not..." Alice trailed off, biting her lip.

Arthur laughed, and he failed to notice Alfred's eyes shoot over towards them, watching them closely.

"You don't say...well, it wouldn't hurt to say hello now and then."

"I suppose so," Alice concurred quietly, handing him the bag. He took it gratefully.

"Best of luck?"

Alice smiled, her expression calm. "And to you as well. I see you have quite the rowdy one to deal with."

"That I do," Arthur chuckled, sighing to himself. Although he hadn't known her for very long, he felt as if they were similar, as if they understood one other in a strange way. Her eyes seemed so much like his, but they seemed calmer, wiser, even though she seemed younger than him.

"We're going."

Arthur felt himself jerked sideways; Alfred had gripped his arm strongly, almost painfully, and practically dragged him out of the shop before he had time to react.

"A-Alice!" Arthur called, wanting to say goodbye. Alice gave him a pitying smile, waving him out.

* * *

They walked to the edge of town in silence. Arthur had given Alfred a good scolding, but Alfred ignored him, a dark expression on his face as he frowned. Arthur sighed and gave up, crumpling the bag beneath his fingertips.

What was that all about? Honestly, if he'd known Alfred was going to be a complete _child_ he wouldn't have brought him into the store in the first place!

Trees were coming into view, and Arthur sighed again, turning to Alfred. They were going to have to settle this beforehand; he didn't want Elizaveta to have to deal with the extra stress of seeing them fight.

"What are you angry about, Alfred?" Arthur inquired tiredly.

Alfred turned to face him, his eyes dark. "I don't have time to be worried over _humans_. I don't care. Do whatever the fuck you want."

"You're angry about something. Something in the shop?"

Alfred's eyes widened a bit - Arthur knew he had hit the mark - and he scoffed. "As if. What a dingy place. With a dumb pharmacist. I don't give a shit."

"Alfred! You should be grateful she didn't make us pay for the ointment you dropped, how could you-"

"Hah! Grateful? To _her_?"

"Yes! Any normal person would have required us to -"

"Why do you care so much about her anyway? You just met! Are you that desperate?"

Arthur's eyes narrowed as his blood ran cold.

_Are you that desperate? _

The same words the frog used. The same words _everybody_ used.

Alfred shifted awkwardly. "See? I'm right, aren't I?"

Arthur's eyes went blank as he stared at the ground. "You always are," he responded quietly, although it didn't seem as if he were talking to Alfred.

He didn't have any feelings for Alice, that he knew for sure - and the concept of it was ridiculous, falling in love with a girl he had met for a couple of minutes. He wasn't sure whether Alfred was being petty, jealous, or just irritated, but he was tired of arguing with him. So tired of the confusion, tired of everything. When everything he knew to be wrong felt right, when the rules inverted themselves and left him stranded...

Maybe it would just be best to just stop trying. It would be _easy_, so easy, to retreat into himself, forget about everything...

_No. He would not._

He was Arthur Kirkland, and he would never let anyone or anything break him again.

The world was changing constantly. He couldn't expect the same rules that strangled him as a child to last forever. Nothing did.

_Everything_ had the capacity to change.

And in that, he found strength.

He looked up at Alfred, his eyes burning.

* * *

Minutes of silence between them stretched into eternity as they stared at one another, neither backing down.

He knew something was wrong with Alfred. It was painfully obvious, with his transformations and memory gaps. And Arthur was going to find out what it was.

"Are we going?" Arthur asked after a while, crossing his arms over his chest casually. He tried to sound as normal as possible. "Are you going to fly us over there again, or should I attempt another free fall?"

Alfred's eyes narrowed. He shifted again.

"Do you like her?"

Arthur frowned. Was he _still_ hung up over Alice?

"She's a pleasant lady," Arthur admitted, smiling a bit. "Smart. Witty. Pleasurable company."

"Is that a yes?"

"No, Alfred."

Alfred looked at him questioningly.

"Do you understand the concept of friendship? Perhaps empathy? Anyone with a heart..." Arthur trailed off, not realizing his mistake.

Alfred rushed towards him, and the two were suddenly inches apart.

"I told you, I don't have one," Alfred hissed, raw pain and confusion hidden within his dark eyes. He had never looked so unsure before, and Arthur gulped, surprised.

"Alfred..."

"Then tell me why," Alfred continued, his voice low, "Why I feel this...this _thing_..."

Arthur fell silent, listening.

"It's...unpleasant. Sickening. I feel sick."

"You told me demons don't get sick."

"They don't! Fuck, why is this happening?" Alfred rolled his hands through his hair in frustration.

And suddenly, it all clicked. Alfred was angry when he was with Francis. When he was with Alice. Arthur couldn't believe it himself - he denied that Alfred was interested in him - but if it _was_ jealousy...

"Alfred," Arthur said softly, everything in him screaming for him to stop, to stay back, "Alfred, I'm not in love with her."

Alfred froze, slowly meeting his gaze.

"Then why were you laughing with her?"

Arthur smiled at the memory of their conversation. "Similar struggles."

"What struggles?" Alfred demanded, frowning.

"I suppose that's a secret," Arthur teased, and before he knew it, he had reached out and poked the tip of Alfred's nose. Alfred's eyes widened in surprise.

It was the first time he had touched him.

Suddenly, Alfred let out a large sigh, his hair falling into his face as he leaned over, his head resting on Arthur's shoulder in a familiar position.

"I guess I'll always lose to you, little lion," Alfred whispered, too quiet for Arthur to hear.

* * *

"You guys look like you've been through hell and back," Gilbert whistled as they burst through the door.

"Sorry for the wait!" Arthur exclaimed, hurrying over to Elizaveta, who was lying on Arthur's old bed. Her face was even paler than before, though Arthur thought it wasn't possible, and her eyes seemed slightly dimmer. Her long, lush hair was tangled and slightly frizzy.

"Fuck, you sure took your sweet time. Got all your problems sorted out?"

"Hardly," Alfred muttered, though he refused to meet Gilbert's questioning gaze.

"Hmm..." Gilbert shrugged, a smile on his face.

After giving Elizaveta her medicine, Arthur sat beside the bed, while Alfred and Gilbert sat on two chairs opposite him.

"Has she been all right?"

"Not really," admitted Gilbert, coughing. Arthur's gaze shot up.

"Are you sick as well?"

"Nah. I'll be fine."

"Gilbert..."

"Something's wrong with this house," Gilbert admitted, sniffing. "We...I...I thought it was gonna work, but it isn't."

Arthur frowned. "What isn't?"

Gilbert looked up at him, a dark frown forming on his face. "We escaped. The three of us. We don't belong here."

"Escaped from...where?"

Alfred abruptly stood up, walking over to Arthur until he was looking down at him.

"Hell. Where else?"


	7. Denial

_Hello everyone! Thank you for all the reviews! I really appreciate them, so feel free to let me know what you think of the story, especially what you like/dislike. __As for the story itself, I can say for sure now that there will be seventeen chapters plus a short epilogue at the end! Thank you for reading until this chapter, and I really hope that you guys stick with me until the end ^u^_

_Once again, the english translation of Magnet is taken from __ vocalyrics*wikia*com/wiki/Magnet_

_(replace * with .)_

* * *

"Hell..." Arthur was at a loss for words. It made sense - _where else_ would demons come from? - but it was still a bit much to take in. To suddenly be forced to believe that hell existed, that there were other places from Earth...it jolted Arthur from his reality and opened the long-lost doorway to his childhood memories and fantasies. But he made himself concentrate on the situation at hand, trying to organize his mind.

He had been living with demons. From hell.

And Alfred was one of them.

Gilbert grinned. "Yeah. From hell. We're not meant to be here. But Liz and I, we pulled a few strings."

"Many strings," Alfred grunted, snorting.

"Many strings," Gilbert conceded. "And we managed to escape. We had to."

"For what purpose?"

Gilbert fell silent. Alfred looked at Gilbert stonily, shaking his head.

"He's mad," Alfred said, referring to Gilbert. "More insane than I am." But something in the tone of Alfred's voice made Arthur look at him closely. It almost seemed as if Alfred himself didn't know the reason, although the theory seemed a bit strange. After all, all three of them seemed to be on the same page. Or were they?

Gilbert cackled. "Thanks, man."

Elizaveta coughed, slowly cracking open her eyes. Her gaze landed on Arthur, who immediately straightened and rushed to her side.

"Elizaveta! Are you all right?"

"Fine, Arthur dear...a-are you all right?"

Arthur blinked. "Of course I am." Sometimes it was hard to believe that Elizaveta was actually a demon, considering how kind and caring she seemed to be. Of course, she wasn't like that with Gilbert, but Gilbert seemed to be a sort of exception.

She smiled at him. "Is that so...I was worried, I thought something happened...you and Al, together..."

Alfred and Arthur exchanged glances. They had already settled it; no point in bringing it up.

"No, we just...Alfred wanted a tour of the town, so..."

Elizaveta frowned. "He always goes into town...why would he need a tour?"

This was news. "For what?"

Elizaveta sighed. "He gets bored, our Al. Sometimes drinks. Sometimes girls. Sometimes he just wants a good fight."

Arthur's eyes fell a bit. _Girls? _"O-Oh, is that so...well, he wanted to see my work, and the like..."

Elizaveta's gaze hardened. "You went back?"

"Oh, just a cursory glance on the way to the pharmacy. In any case, you really should be resting..." Arthur responded hurriedly, easing her back into a resting position. She didn't need to worry about this.

"You didn't leave." Elizaveta looked brighter all of a sudden, her eyes sparkling. "You came back."

Arthur hadn't had a choice, with Alfred by his side, but he knew better than to admit that. "Yes. I came back."

Because he knew that, even without Alfred, his decision would have been the same.

Because their fates were already intertwined.

* * *

Arthur shifted uncomfortably for what seemed like the hundredth time. He was lounging on a library chair as he read a novel, and through the edge of his vision he could see Alfred sitting on the chair opposite him, staring at him.

Endlessly.

Arthur could feel himself grow redder with each second, until he finally put his book down, frustrated. Was this a new sort of harassment?

"If you want something from me, out with it!" he spluttered, glaring at the demon.

"I don't want anything," Alfred said casually, a grin on his face. "Am I bothering you?"

He didn't want to admit it. That he was bothered by Alfred's gaze. "N-No, I was just concerned that you were...bored...or something."

"Thank you for your concern."

Arthur glared at him again before glancing down at his book.

_"...But he had betrayed her again._

_'How could you?!' she cried, her eyes smeared with tears as she tossed accusation after accusation at him. 'After all we've been through!'_

_He had nothing to say in his defense, save for a shameful glance at the man standing next to him._

_His lover."_

Arthur choked on his tea, snapping the book shut, his eyes wide.

Alfred looked at him with concern, an amused grin on his face.

"You okay?"

"P-Perfectly all right," Arthur managed, unsettled.

That was the first time...he had ever read anything about...about _those_ sorts of people. That...preferred men.

That he would never admit. Honestly, how did that book even get _published_? Nowhere in Alar would any bookseller sell those sorts of books!

"Didn't like what you read?"

"I-It was all right...trite, though. Not really worth reading," he babbled as he stood up to put it back on the shelf. But Alfred quickly cornered him, snatching the book from him.

"Alfred-"

"Hmm..._Blood to Roses_, huh..." Alfred grinned. "Looks like my next read."

Arthur's face flushed. He had only gotten about a hundred pages in, but...he silently prayed that Alfred didn't have the attention span to get that far. "Alfred, it isn't worth your time!"

"Sure it is, sure it is!" Alfred responded cheerfully as he sat back down again, humming to himself as he opened the cover.

"You demon."

"Guilty as charged."

Arthur cursed under his breath as he scavenged for another quick novel to distract him.

"Really, I don't know what I was thinking when I picked that book up. Completely out of my character," he muttered, more to Alfred than himself as he searched the shelves.

Gilbert suddenly burst into the room, his eyes scanning the space for Arthur.

"Art, buddy, would ya c'mere a sec?"

Arthur peered from between the shelves, then made his way over to Gilbert. "Yes?"

"Great." He followed Gilbert into the hallway, closing the door behind them so Alfred wouldn't hear.

"S-So, uh...this may be awkward for you, but...we don't really have a lot of time here, and Liz isn't doin' that well..."

Arthur frowned. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" He prayed her condition hadn't become worse. Surely the medicine would have started to work by now? Or did it not work on demons?

"No, not to do with you..." Gilbert frowned, his skin paler than usual. He had dark circles under his eyes, and he seemed panicked. "Uh, just a quick question. Don't think too much about it. Say the first thing that comes into your head. Let's do a practice round. Do you have any siblings?"

"...Yes." Arthur hated to recall them. "I do."

Gilbert groaned. "You're slow as _fuck_, Arthur! I said immediately! Quickly! First thing!"

Arthur blinked several times, taken aback. "All right."

"Favorite flower!"

"Roses."

Gilbert smiled weakly. "Yeah, more like that. Okay. One more warm up."

"Gilbert, what is the point of this-"

"Favorite drink!"

"I do enjoy tea."

"Great! Are you in love with Al-I mean, anyone?"

Arthur's blood ran cold. "Pardon?"

"Are you in love with anyone?" Gilbert asked shamelessly, _impatiently_, his eyebrows furrowed. "Come on, I said _quickly_!"

"I..." Arthur's tongue suddenly felt like leather in his mouth.

_Was_ he? Love...a flash of blond, a hint of blue, that warm feeling that Alfred gave him...but all of a sudden that _demon_ was there too, his infuriating gaze, his insufferable arguments and the way he smiled...

Arthur's gaze fell to the ground as his face grew red.

Gilbert sighed. "Please, I'm begging ya, Art...for once in your life can you just be honest?"

It wasn't possible. He was...he was a man, and a _demon_, and he was everything that shouldn't be, and Arthur just felt so _confused_...

"A-And if I was?" he managed after a while, glaring at Gilbert. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Do you want to free him?"

"Excuse me?"

"The guy you like. Do you want to free him?"

"How do you know the person is a _male_? I'll have you know -"

"I _told_ you in the beginning I don't have _time_ for this kinda shit, Art. Figure it out. The clock is ticking."

With that, Gilbert pushed past him, leaving Arthur standing dumbfounded in the corridor.

* * *

It was a risk. It was stupid. It was quite possibly one of the worst ideas - besides Francis - that Arthur had had in his life.

But he had to give it a try.

He had checked the clock several times and waited until 11:50 to walk to Alfred's room, silently ascending the stairs as he tiptoed across the wooden floorboards. He prayed that Gilbert and Elizaveta had decided not to stalk - sorry, _guard_ \- him that night, considering that they were both feeling under the weather.

He paused to listen for noise before he quietly knocked on Alfred's door.

He paused. Knocked again.

His heart practically jumping out of his chest, he knocked a third time, praying, wishing, _hoping_...

And finally, he heard the bedsprings creak, muffled footsteps approaching him.

And the door opened.

Green met blue.

"Alfred," Arthur whispered. "Please. Let me in."

Alfred's eyes widened as he reached for Arthur hesitantly, his fingers gliding over his cheeks, down his neck, his shoulders, and finally down his arms to his hands. He slowly led Arthur in without a word, shutting the door firmly behind him and locking it.

Arthur looked around the room, noting the austere furniture, the lack of color, and the rigid organization. It was almost the opposite of what he had expected of Alfred. The demon Alfred, at least. He quickly turned on the lamp so he could see better, and found Alfred tracing his movement with his eyes.

"Can you see...can you see me?" Arthur asked tentatively, walking towards him again. It was impossible, of course...Alfred had said he was blind, after all. But the previous time they had met, Alfred had mentioned something about seeing blobs of color...

"I was...I was thinking about you. I _am_ thinking about you. Always."

His voice was so soft, so broken, and Arthur felt his heart twinge in pain. He knew he had to bring it up, or they would never talk about it. Best to be straightforward, however hard it was. "Alfred...the song you sang to me last time, I...I always hear it, in my head. Especially when I'm around you. I hear fragments, and they're gone as soon as they come but it's always there." He looked up, his eyes a bit moist. "Tell me. What is that song?"

Alfred's eyes widened, a new light in them. "You remember? You remember it?"

"I-I don't think that counts as remembering, but it...resurfaces. Just fragments."

Alfred smiled sadly. "That's our song, Arthur."

_Our song?_

"I don't know how long it's been..." Alfred trailed off, rubbing his hands together. "If you don't remember..." He frowned. "No, I...you told me before, you told me that..." He gripped his head, as if he were in pain. "No..."

Arthur rushed to him, helping him over to the bed and easing him down so that the two were sitting next to each other on the side of the bed.

"Alfred, listen to me. For most of the day...at least, since I've been here, you've...during the day, your appearance changes, and you...you're a demon. I saw...you have wings, too, and you don't seem to remember what you go through when you're...like this. And I think the reverse is true as well."

Alfred's eyes widened miserably. "I know. I feel...sometimes I get glimpses. Of what I did. Of who...of who I hurt. And I hate it, and I try to push it away..."

"Are you a demon now?"

"No!" Alfred exclaimed, whirling on Arthur, his eyes desperate. "No, I...I'm like you. I'm a human."

"And...at night, you become like this again?" It was like some sort of fairy tale.

"N-Not every night. I think...since I saw you again, it's been happening almost every night, but..." Alfred's hands reached for him again, but he suddenly drew back. "No. I can't hurt you. Not again. Don't worry about me, it'll be fine, I can figure it out -"

"Well clearly you can't!" Arthur exclaimed, his eyebrows furrowed. "Alfred, I..." His voice softened. "Rely on me more. I know...I know there's a lot I don't know, and...I don't know what you've been through, but I can't...I can't bear to see you go through this sort of pain. It's as if you're torturing yourself."

Alfred smiled bitterly. "I deserve it. I deserve all of it, and worse -"

"I will slap you if you say that again."

Alfred's eyes widened in surprise. "That's so mean!" He pretended to look offended.

Arthur grinned. "Is it? Then let me help you, and I won't. I assure you, I'm a perfect gentleman."

Alfred snorted. "As if."

"What did you say?"

"Oh, I can recall _tons_ of times you went totally ballistic and broke a bottle or three...and I had to drag you home with you screaming about how you wanted to be a rockstar, and believe me, while that was cute to _me_ I had to spend days convincing the neighbors you weren't some sort of street hoodlum -"

"What on _earth _are you talking about, there's no universe where I'd _ever_ do that!"

"Well you did! I can't help it!"

"Shhh! Liz and Gilbert are sleeping!"

Alfred covered his mouth, but an amused grin still lit up his face.

"But you don't remember, Arthur," Alfred said softly, his eyes downcast. "Any of it. And...and you're still the same, but...the way you talk...it's different than before. You use the same mannerisms, but...your speech is different, somehow." He frowned. "And...if I'm a...but how..."

"Alfred, I can assure you that I have never met you before."

He winced at the harshness of his words, and he saw Alfred try to keep his expression the same, but he saw the hurt in his eyes.

"Arthur...no, I guess it's impossible to ask you..."

"What?" Arthur asked gently.

"How long has it been? Of course, you wouldn't know that..."

"Alfred, do you think..." Arthur began after a while, his mind racing. "Alfred, what did you do?" Fear clenched in his throat. His entire body was armed, as if preparing for a punch, concern in his eyes as he looked towards Alfred. "You mentioned it before. You keep saying that you deserve this, that you did something, you kept apologizing to me the first time we met...I assure you, I..." Was it too much, too naive, to forgive him for something Arthur didn't know of? Could Alfred truly do something so _horrible_?

Alfred's eyes fell again. "It's for the best. I don't want to remind you. I don't want you to relive..._that_...again." Alfred's eyes grew hard, and he curled his hands into fists.

"Were you a human before?" Arthur knew the answer, but he wanted to ask once more to confirm.

"Yes."

"So...so essentially, you becoming a demon...was it a consequence? A punishment?"

"I guess so."

"..." Arthur fell silent again. How could they solve this predicament? Was it possible for Alfred to return to normal?

Gilbert had told him to figure it out. That was quite possibly the most unhelpful advice anyone had ever given him.

"Tell me what it's like."

"Pardon?"

"Your world." Alfred smiled at him, and Arthur sensed Alfred was willing him to change the subject. "What do you do?"

"Oh, I..." Arthur was suddenly at a loss for words. "It's not a big deal, really. I'm an editor."

"Oh yeah, you and your books," Alfred chuckled. "I always preferred comics, but some books are nice. I guess."

"You _guess_? And what are comics?"

Alfred turned to him, gasping exaggeratedly. "You don't have _comics_? What kind of hell is this?"

Arthur sighed, repressing a smile. "Alfred, that pun was inappropriate."

He grinned sheepishly. "Hey, I try. But seriously. I need to show you sometime. It's too bad I'm kinda blind, or else I would have drawn you some good ones."

"So it's art?"

"Yeah, but it has, like, words and stuff, you know? So like, you'd draw the dude, and then you'd draw a speech bubble with some text. Oh my god, and then, there's like, this whole other subsection of general graphic novels, which is like, a lot more in depth, and the stories can sometimes be serious but I always did like the classic superhero ones, you know?"

"Super...heroes? Some sort of powerful hero figure?"

"Aww yeah, man!" Alfred was positively glowing with excitement, and Arthur found himself smiling too, leaning in to see and hear all of Alfred that he could.

_This_ was Alfred. The true Alfred, the happy Alfred that didn't deserve any of what he got. He realized he had tuned out of the conversation, and quickly began paying attention again.

"There's a lot, but I mean, in terms of like, powers and stuff, I think teleportation would be pretty cool. Or like, laser beams from the eyes or something. I always told you that if I had teleportation powers I could take you anywhere you wanted, and we could go on walks on the beach at night, stay in a fancy beachside resort and go mountain climbing in the morning, and then you could go to some historical exhibit and I could grab a burger and we could both walk on those cobblestone streets you always liked...I mean, yeah, we had different tastes but I think the great thing was that we both grew to appreciate the other's interests."

"I've never been mountain climbing, actually," Arthur commented, frowning slightly.

"It's sick, dude. But..." A shadow crossed over Alfred's face. "It's probably my fault that we never got to, anyway."

Arthur suddenly found himself reaching for Alfred's hands and holding them gently with his own. "Then we'll make new memories. New activities. New adventures."

Alfred's eyes widened.

"...And together, we'll create our own world."

"What?" Arthur tilted his head.

"It's..." Alfred smiled sadly. "It's what you told me once before. You said to me, 'We'll make new memories, we'll have our adventures, and we'll rewrite society's rules, and together, we'll create our own world.'"

"That's a very embarrassing thing to say," Arthur admitted, his face growing red from just imagining it.

"You said it. And it was the damn coolest thing I've ever heard anyone say. I still...I still can't believe it."

"Believe what?"

"That you're really here, with me."

"You keep saying that."

"I know, but...it's a miracle. I...I'm so scared, that if...if I hold you again..."

Arthur's heartbeat sped up.

"If I hold you again, if I touch you again...you'll...I'll hurt you, or you'll disappear..." Alfred trailed off as he plunged into another depressed state.

"Alfred," Arthur breathed, and everything told him to stop, told him this was wrong, but he was_ tired_ of listening to the voices in his head. He reached out for Alfred, cupping his cheeks in his hands before he drew himself to Alfred, suddenly wrapping him in an embrace.

He felt Alfred freeze, then slowly bend to wrap his strong arms around Arthur's smaller frame.

"Alfred, I'm not going anywhere. I...I can't leave you."

Alfred chuckled into Arthur's shoulder. "Why not?"

"What?" Arthur felt himself go red. "I-I don't know. I just...when I did leave you...well, it wasn't really _you_, but I guess it was technically you...when I did, I just...you were all I could think about, and it was so infuriating and I felt so much better when I saw you again."

"A confession?"

Alfred's voice seemed so much lower than normal.

"Alfred? Are you all right?"

"You're trapped, little lion."

Suddenly, Arthur felt his back hit the bed as a dark figure towered over him, staring down at him amusedly with blood red eyes.

* * *

"Al...fred..."

"I was wondering why you were so flustered reading that story," Alfred began casually, his eyes never leaving Arthur's. "Why you always seemed so stubborn. I get it now."

"You don't understand anything," Arthur retorted immediately, crossing his arms over his chest as he tried to form an escape plan, glaring at Alfred. "And the book has nothing to do with it."

"But it has _everything_ to do with it. You read everything, Arthur. Even those books that make you cringe, that you want to rip apart, you still make it through the end. Except that one. You put that one down without even getting halfway."

"How do you know that?"

Alfred laughed. "I've been _watching_ you, obviously. Did you think I was sitting there to admire the shelves?"

Arthur felt his face heat up. "It doesn't mean anything," he hissed.

"You say I'm a demon. But you're pretty cunning too. Are you tempting me? Playing dumb like that? _Denying_ everything?"

"Tempting you for _what_? Honestly, I have no idea what you're saying -"

The words died in his throat as Alfred closed the gap between them with a kiss.

_'I am wrapped around your finger from the lips to the tongue..._

_Even if this is something that cannot be allowed, the flames jump higher still...'_

Arthur's eyes shot open in surprise as he pushed against Alfred's chest, but Alfred was holding him down now, deepening the kiss, and Arthur felt his mind go blank.

It was indescribable. He felt all of Alfred's possessiveness, his _hunger_ as he practically devoured Arthur's mouth, and only when they broke apart did Arthur remember to breathe. His face was a deep red as he stared at Alfred, a mixture of surprise, confusion, and embarrassment written across his face. Alfred was all he could see, and the warm feeling that seeped through his chest and his body left him weak.

Alfred looked down at him as they parted, a slight smirk on his face.

And it irritated him.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he spluttered, fixing a harsh glare on Alfred. "That isn't funny!"

"It wasn't supposed to be funny."

"Then...then what was _that_?"

"I think, by your expression, you know _exactly_ what that was."

"I..."

"Yeah. You definitely do."

"I don't...!"

But Alfred didn't let him finish as he leaned closer again, sealing the gap between them once more. Alfred kissed him roughly, erasing all thoughts from Arthur's mind, but Arthur managed to grab a fistful of Alfred's shirt in an attempt to push him back.

"...fre...!"

He didn't have time to talk as Alfred kissed him again, and Arthur failed to notice the hands creeping to his collar and slowly unbuttoning his shirt.

And soon Alfred drew back, and Arthur felt extremely warm, his face flushed and feeling slightly dazed. His eyes were slightly unfocused as he gazed at Alfred, struggling to think, to form thoughts...

Did he want this?

...He _shouldn't_. He knew he shouldn't.

"A-Alfred..." he tried, but he felt something warm on his neck, and soon Alfred was kissing him again, slowly, _deeply_, sucking on the nape of his neck as Arthur struggled not to make a sound...

No. He had to stop this. He needed..._they_ needed to talk.

Jolting upwards, he forced Alfred off of him, and he shrunk back a bit at Alfred's annoyed expression. He flushed, noting that Alfred's eyes were slightly glazed over as well - Arthur could easily recognize lust.

Alfred sat up with a groan, frowning at Arthur as he studied him. Arthur immediately sat up as well, backing into the bed frame as he held a pillow in his arms, as if it offered some sort of defense.

"You're so weird," Alfred commented irritatedly.

"Excuse me?"

"You _know_ what you want. Why don't you just go _get_ it? What's the point of turning dumb shit in your head over and over again?"

Arthur blinked. "I don't follow."

Alfred sighed. "I'll never understand humans." He gave Arthur an intense look. "Or maybe I'll just never understand _you_."

Arthur huffed. "As I said before, the feeling is mutual."

No. That wasn't right.

He had to pick up the pieces. _Figure it out, Arthur._

Alfred _wanted_ to know. He wanted to understand, he wanted to _feel_, he was as lost as Arthur but in different ways.

And all of a sudden, Arthur knew what he had to do.

_Free him._


	8. Curse

_Hi everyone! I hope you enjoy the next chapter, and please don't forget to review and let me know what you think!_

* * *

Alfred and Arthur sat facing opposite each other on the bed, neither saying a word, their gazes locked. Each studying the other, eyes unwavering.

Until they heard a crack. Followed by a louder one. Followed by a thump from downstairs. Several thumps, actually, that served to incite worry in both of them.

Arthur immediately stood up, looking around the room with wide, questioning eyes. Alfred followed suit, a confused expression on his face.

"What is...?"

Sunlight was just beginning to streak through the window, and they heard increasingly loud muffled thumps come from the stairs.

Arthur opened the door quickly, only to find Gilbert standing in the doorway, staring at them, his jaw slowly dropping as his eyes moved from Arthur, to Alfred, to Arthur again.

"Hot damn," Gil whistled, his eyes wide. "You two sure were busy."

Arthur blushed. "It...it isn't what it looks like, I can assure you, but what were those -"

"Nah," Alfred grinned, casually swinging an arm around Arthur's shoulders as he drew him closer. "Arthur here's just too embarrassed to admit it."

"Oh, will you _stop it_! Where are those noises coming from?"

Gilbert froze, and suddenly straightened up, his eyes darkening.

"I...I'm sorry, Al, Art. You need to scram. Like, _now_."

"What?" Alfred stomped over to Gilbert, his eyes flaring. "What the hell is going on?"

The crackling sounds grew louder and more frequent, and Arthur looked at the ceiling with wide eyes.

"T-The...Liz is too sick, and I can't...I'm sorry," Gilbert huffed, his voice surprisingly weak. "You guys need to leave. Get out of here."

"What the hell are you talking about? What's wrong with the house?"

"What did you think would happen, Al?!" Gilbert shouted suddenly, his maroon eyes glinting dangerously. "Our time's up. Liz and I..." He shook his head. "We'll be all right. You two. Go. Now."

"What the - I'm not leaving without an answer!"

But Arthur knew they didn't have the choice as the ceiling of Alfred's room caved in, followed by a seeping black liquid that seemed to come from the roof. Debris from the roof crushed Alfred's bed, and the roof was falling in at an alarming rate.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Gilbert cursed, running his hands through his hair out of stress. "Shit, not good." He gave Arthur a desperate look. "Please. We can't look after you anymore. I'm...I'm sorry. I couldn't see this through to the end..."

"Gil." Alfred straightened up suddenly, his eyes distant. "We'll see you outside. Promise. No excuses."

And Alfred suddenly grabbed Arthur's hand, racing for the stairs.

"A-Alfred!" Arthur exclaimed, taken aback as his feet barely touched the ground. He felt as if he were flying - Alfred was _way_ too fast.

And soon they were out of the house, and Arthur gasped at what he saw outside.

The house was covered in some sort of black liquid, and it ran down the walls from the roof. There seemed to be some sort of black circle around the house which was slowly burning the grass around it, creating thick black marks made of charred grass. The liquid seemed to be sludgy in some areas and liquid in others, which only confused Arthur more.

Arthur turned to Alfred, only to see Alfred standing, dumbfounded.

"Alfred, what's happening?" Arthur asked, his voice rising with panic. "Alfred, what is this?"

"I..." Alfred's eyes were wide, but he didn't seem to be looking at anything in particular. "I don't..."

"Alfred, the...is the house _melting_?"

The roof seemed to be slowly falling, thick with the liquid, as the walls seemed to be caving in.

And Liz and Gil were still inside.

"We have to go get them," Arthur said automatically, dumbly moving towards the house. He stopped as Alfred caught his arm, tugging him back. He looked at Alfred questioningly.

"Alfred, if the house is really...if it's really caving in, we need to save them!"

"They'll come out on their own. They aren't like _you_. They're not _weak_."

Arthur groaned. Why was Alfred choosing _now_ of all times to be unbelievably childish?

"Oh, for God's -" Arthur shook him off. "People don't follow through on their promises sometimes, Alfred! Gilbert was basically telling you to sod off before you both got yourselves killed!"

"Where is he?" Alfred repeated stubbornly, and Arthur ran over to him, grabbing his shoulders. Alfred's gaze shot down to him in surprise.

"Wake up, Alfred! It's too..."

But Alfred and Arthur could only stand there as the house disintegrated, falling over and into itself until there was nothing but a black pool of goop in the shape of where the house used to be.

Arthur stared at it, unmoving.

And then Alfred let out a howl, so filled with confusion and anger and _sadness_ that it almost tore Arthur's heart in two.

* * *

"Alfred...are you _sure_ you know where you're going?"

"Positive."

"Alfred...we passed this point already. See, I made a mark on the tree."

"Who asked you to mark the damn tree?"

"I did, because _one_ of us has to keep track of where we're going!"

"Why didn't they come with us?!" Alfred shouted, his eyes red from the tears that he would never admit streaked down his face as he whirled on Arthur suddenly. "Why the hell didn't they come with us?! If we were able to make it out, they could have too!"

Arthur studied Alfred carefully before taking a deep breath. "Alfred...did I ever mention to you that...well, when I was a child - really, it was a while ago - I used to...read books about...the supernatural. Demons, pixies, fairies, magical creatures..."

Alfred blinked, surprised, as a small, strained smirk lit up his face. "Huh. Never would have thought it."

"Anyway," Arthur pressed, "The liquid? The circle? The fire? Three tell tale signs of the house being cursed. How long have you been living there?"

Alfred frowned as he mentioned the curse. "Uh...well I mean, we ran away a decade or two ago. Don't really remember."

"Was the house..."

"No, Liz and Gil made it from scratch. And..." Alfred's eyes grew wide. "Oh, shit. _That's_ what they were talking about."

Arthur waited.

"Ugh...when we first...when we first came here, Liz and Gil used their powers to make the house, and they had to hide it from being spotted, right? Especially by the demons coming after us. We weren't supposed to leave Hell," Alfred said, a grin on his face. "But we made it out. So they put up a barrier around the house to make sure no demon could see it or get in. But...the thing is, we're not supposed to be able to do that sort of thing. And Liz and Gil aren't some shitty high end demons either, so they each traded a part of their powers, their life, and blood for it. Obviously, the spell...it protects the house by sucking their life."

_Oh no._

"And the thing is...they can't leave the house either. _Fuck," _Alfred growled as everything clicked into place.

"What...then the liquid..."

"No, that isn't a curse that was there forever," Alfred frowned, his eyes dark. "You were right about black liquid usually being used - and I've seen it myself, the nasty stuff gets _everywhere_, but...no. It had a different smell. But..."

His gaze shot up to Arthur as his eyebrows furrowed.

"No. Somehow, they knew. _They_ did that."

"Alfred...who..."

"They're after us," Alfred stated, his eyes dark.

Suddenly, he grinned maniacally, his eyes glinting. "And it's about damn time. I was getting bored, sitting on my ass."

"Alfred..."

Alfred turned to Arthur. "Are you scared?" he asked, his grin fading a bit.

Arthur crossed his arms over his chest. "Honestly, you haven't even told me what we're up against."

_We're_. They were together. Arthur hardly realized the impact the use of the word had. It just felt natural.

"Did I tell you that I'm a _great_ prison wrecker? They had to lock me up..." Alfred leaned back, sighing as he reminisced. "Damn, I haven't thought about those times in a while. Funny, don't really remember anything before that. Anyway."

He motioned for Arthur to follow him as they began to walk casually through the forest.

"I was apparently a strong deviant, so they locked me up in one of their largest prisons. Then I broke out of that. Then they put me in their worst prison. Then Liz and Gil broke me out of _that_. And see, the guy in charge of that prison - the Duke - he's a nasty piece of shit. He didn't think that my escape was funny. But I laughed in his face before I left. He's probably after us now. Done with our little escapade."

"What did you...what did you do to become imprisoned?"

"...It's been a while. Don't really remember. Must have been something badass."

Arthur snorted. "So there are crimes even a demon can't commit?"

"Oh, not _those_ sorts of crimes. Your silly human crimes, like robbing or stealing or killing. I mean..." Alfred frowned. "Don't really know how to explain it."

Arthur fell silent, thinking. The demon Alfred wasn't conscious of the human side of him, and vice versa. The demon didn't have memories of before, while Alfred _only _seemed to have memories of before...

It wasn't possible. In all the books he'd read on the subject, it was practically unheard of. Most likely because demons weren't the ones writing the books, but...

"A-Alfred," Arthur began hesitantly. "Is it...hypothetically...possible...for a mortal to transcend the boundary?"

"What?"

"I mean...is it possible for a person, a _human_, to...well, _become_ a demon?"

Alfred froze, staring at him for a couple of seconds before bursting out into laughter.

"A _human_? Becoming a _demon_?" Alfred nearly choked, his laughter loud. "That _is_ a good one."

Arthur's face fell a little bit. So it wasn't the case. But...Alfred had definitely _been_ human, at one point. So he must have been...something must have happened for him to become a demon. Plus, although his mind might have been playing tricks on him, Alfred seemed to have a heart...

Arthur felt more and more confused. _Figure it out._

Figure _what_ out?

"Curious? Are you attracted to the immortal life?"

Alfred slowly approached him, his eyes narrowed slightly. Arthur stood his ground, frowning.

"Of course not. It's for a...friend."

"Tsk. Little lion. That's the easiest excuse in the book."

Arthur frowned, glaring at him. Honestly. It was _his_ fault he was even asking!

"So tell me. Who is this..._friend_ of yours? Ah, perhaps, the one in the tavern?"

Arthur's heartbeat sped up as he flushed slightly. He opened his mouth to retort, but Alfred had already seen his reaction.

"Ah ha! So it _is_ that man. And why is he interested in demons?"

"No, it isn't...it isn't him. That frog has nothing to do with it."

"Wow. What did he ever do to you, I wonder?"

Arthur's eyes narrowed. "It's none of your business."

"But that makes me all the more _curious_," Alfred drawled as he casually came closer to Arthur. "Tell me, little lion."

"Hm. Are you jealous?" joked Arthur in an attempt to avoid the subject. Alfred frowned, his eyes flashing dangerously, and Arthur shrugged. "He's just a colleague. Now it's my turn. Why did you come back for me?"

Alfred looked smug, before he mimicked Arthur's shrug. "I felt like it."

"Did you? After you told me I wasn't _different_ enough for you?"

"Are you still mad about that?" He sounded petulant now. Childish.

Arthur sighed. "Why are we arguing over this? I was trying to..." he stopped, knowing he shouldn't let Alfred in on what he was trying to do.

How he was trying to connect past and present. Telling Alfred would either help him understand or completely shut himself off completely to the idea.

And knowing the demon Alfred, it was probably the latter.

"And where are we going, exactly?"

"I would have taken us to the town," Alfred said, frowning. "But I can't...I can't do anything to draw attention. Like using my wings, or mingling with the people. I give off a different smell. Right now, I pretty much just disguised myself as human." Arthur's eyes widened as he noticed Alfred's horns were gone.

"So...so that the Duke can't find you?"

"Yeah. He's a pretty shitty guy. He's so stuck up, and he always wants everything orderly and perfect. Plus, he's super arrogant and standoffish."

_What's the difference between you and him?_ Arthur was tempted to ask, but he held his tongue.

"So...where are we going then?"

Alfred blinked. "I dunno. I was going to -" He stopped. "Oh, shit. You're a _human_."

"..."

"Fuck. I was gonna...damn it."

"What were you going to do?"

"You humans are so needy. If we lived like I wanted, you'd probably die."

Arthur stared at him. "So you have no plan?"

"Plan for what?"

Arthur put his hand on his temple, groaning. "Alfred. According to what you just said, one of the strongest demons in hell is after you, and you were just planning on wandering around the forest doing _nothing_?"

Alfred frowned. "Well I mean, Liz and Gil are gone, so -"

"You're practically begging him to take you. You might as well knock on Hell's front door and give them your wrists to shackle. Do you honestly want to go back there? You need to _fight_, Alfred. Make your life _worth_ something. Stop running away. Confront the problem."

Alfred stared at him, shock written over his face.

"And how do you propose we fight, little lion? We all can't fight with _words_, as you do."

"That's where_ you_ come in."

* * *

"You know, despite all of that, I can manage to hold my own when I want to," Arthur argued after he finished explaining their plan.

Alfred laughed. "I could beat you blindfolded, Arthur."

"No, you can't," Arthur stated simply, walking a few paces ahead of Alfred.

"Wanna bet?"

Arthur turned around. "Bet what?"

"Hmm..." Alfred's eyes flashed wickedly. "Loser has to do anything the winner wants."

Arthur frowned. This was a bad idea. A really, really bad idea.

"You're on."

"Some quick fun before we hit the town," Alfred grinned, cracking his knuckles. "I'll go easy on you. Won't want to injure your pretty face."

Arthur snorted. "If by 'pretty' you mean incurably average," he muttered, and Alfred laughed.

"If you keep underestimating yourself, you'll get in trouble one day."

"I'll count on you to help me when that day comes," Arthur said offhandedly, a mischievous grin on his face.

The rules were simple. Whoever could force their opponent to the ground for three seconds would win.

Arthur and Alfred circled each other, their gazes locked.

"Finally, I'm in the ring with the lion," Alfred grinned, looking more amused than truly threatened. "Let's see how well he bites."

"Show me your worst, you big oaf."

Arthur predicted Alfred would try to rush at him - impress him with his speed, shock him, catch him off guard. Which was why it was so easy to see him coming - he waited until it was just long enough that he thought Arthur might lower his guard, and rushed at him, just as Arthur predicted. Arthur quickly sidestepped, allowing Alfred to barrel past him, and lunged after him, jumping over him.

Alfred fell to the ground with a thud, Arthur leaning over him triumphantly.

"Well, that was quick. One, two..."

But before Arthur could count to three, Alfred got up, grabbed Arthur's shoulders, and forced him onto the ground, sitting over him with an arrogant smirk.

"Isn't that _my_ line? Tell me when I should start counting."

Arthur glared at him, trying to grab his wrists to make him let go, but to no avail.

Arthur suddenly froze, his eyes wide as he looked at a point past Alfred. "A-Alfred..." he whispered, his voice tight. "I-Is that..."

Alfred's eyes widened and he immediately turned around. Quickly, Arthur maneuvered himself out of Alfred's grip, using his surprise to dislodge him and effectively flip their positions.

Alfred stared up at him in shock.

"That wasn't fair."

"I thought demons don't play fair," Arthur teased, smiling slightly.

Alfred continued to stare at him, not resisting. It was over a minute before he slowly held up his hands, not breaking his gaze.

"All right," he said, a small smile on his face.

Arthur blinked, taken aback. Had he...had he just_ let_ him _win_?

"I don't know," Alfred said, shaking his head. "Something must be wrong with me. The sun...it was all over your hair, and it looked like you had a halo..." He was muttering to himself, but Arthur caught his words and blushed slightly.

_So that was why he was staring at me._

"All right. What's your request?"

Arthur crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm going to save it."

Alfred frowned. "Oh, come on! Why?"

"...I have a feeling I'll need it."

Alfred laughed. "Fair enough."

* * *

Alfred quickly flew them into town, landing just outside the border in the same place they did on their last trip.

"Perhaps we should stop by the pharmacy and say hello to Alice," Arthur joked. Alfred's expression darkened.

"Don't go near her."

"Oh, sod off," Arthur sighed, beginning to walk along the path. "We need to find an open place, anyway. Perhaps a park."

"Seriously," Alfred whined, catching up with him. "You said you didn't like her!"

Arthur tossed him a cool glance. "And why are you so concerned? Isn't who I like _my_ business?"

Arthur would have never thought that one day,_ he'd_ be teasing Alfred.

Alfred shut up at that, frowning severely. "Whatever. I don't care," he said in a low voice.

Alfred was so painfully obvious that it took everything Arthur had not to laugh.

"Hmm...this location seems all right," Arthur said after walking for a while, pointing out a small fenced park with a couple of trees and a bench. "It's open, but small enough that it won't attract a lot of attention."

"There's nobody here," Alfred commented, his eyes sweeping the streets. "Holiday?"

Arthur paused, frowning. Today was...what day was it again?

A signal went off in his brain.

But he didn't remember the holiday like normal people did. He remembered it because it was...

"Francis' birthday."

Alfred turned to him, surprised. "Some asshole's _birthday_ has everyone off the streets?"

"No, there's a harvest festival today...but today's also his birthday," Arthur admitted. "Everyone must be inside cooking up something for the town party."

"What does his birthday have to do with it?"

"Nothing, Alfred," Arthur sighed. "It's just a coincidence."

"So it's a _coincidence_ that he's your acquaintance, _coincidence_ that you were at the bar together..."

"Oh, shut up. Come on," he said, and before he realized what he was doing he took Alfred's hand in his own and dragged him over to the bench under the shade of a tree.

Alfred looked down at his hand, and then at the back of Arthur's head. He noticed that the tips of Arthur's ears were pink.

"A-Anyway," Arthur coughed, letting go of his hand, "I suppose we should just wait here. Hopefully your Duke is prompt."

"Yeah, it might take him a while to find us. Considering our scents changed after so many years. But they're similar enough. He'll come. But Arthur..." Alfred turned to him, his eyes unreadable. "He...you're not involved in this."

"I told you, Alfred, I wouldn't leave you aga -" Arthur clamped his mouth shut as his eyes went wide. Alfred stared at him, surprised.

_Shit. _He had told the _other_ Alfred that. Not the demon Alfred.

"When did you say that?"

"Uh...nothing. Never."

"Really?" Alfred walked over to him casually, his eyes glinting. "Tell me more about what you _haven't said_."

"Alfred -"

"We have all day. Literally."

Arthur sighed, fidgeting as he sat down on the bench. Alfred sat next to him, his eyes never leaving him.

"Alfred, I need to ask you a question first. What did you get imprisoned for before you came here?"

Alfred groaned. "Damn it, Arthur, I told you I didn't remember."

"Can you at least try?"

"I have!" Alfred exclaimed suddenly, whirling on Arthur. "So many times, I've tried, and it's driven me insane because I can't remember anything before the dark cell!"

"D-Do you remember what you could have_ possibly_ done?"

"No, of course not!"

So if Alfred couldn't remember backwards...he'd have to ask the other Alfred about the last thing he did. But he knew that coaxing the other Alfred to confess was not an easy task.

"I...I'm sorry, Alfred. I know all this is hard for you, and I..." Arthur ran his hand through his hair. "I just don't know what to do."

"It's no big deal. Not for someone like _me_, anyway," Alfred said smugly. "I don't care."

He was always saying he didn't care. Another defense mechanism.

"And you do know what you're doing, Arthur."

"Pardon?"

"I trust you."

Arthur turned to Alfred and found that Alfred was smiling slightly at him, an innocent smile that made Arthur's chest swell with something he didn't understand.

And it was so, _so _much like the other Alfred's smile.

_Surely there was a way to reconnect the two?_


	9. Revelation

_Hello everyone! _

_I hope you enjoy the next chapter, and **please** don't forget to review and let me know what you think!_

* * *

"Alfred...perhaps we should try again tomorrow."

"Why the _fuck_ isn't he coming?! Seriously, are demons nowadays _this_ useless?"

Arthur would have laughed at Alfred's insult to his own kind, but he was far too tired and far too cold. Instead, he sighed, resting his elbows on his knees as he slouched forward, exhausted. But he soon forced himself to sit upright, like an gentleman would.

He crossed his arms over his chest, thinking. If they went back to Arthur's place to sleep for the night, and the Duke came for them then, they wouldn't be able to carry out their plan - but if they stayed here, they may quite possibly freeze to death. Well, Arthur would, at least.

But he couldn't afford to be selfish. In all cases, it was better to confront him here.

And so they waited.

And waited.

...

_A flash of blue. _

_A hand reached forward, clutching for it._

_His hand._

_"Oh," the man said as he turned around, his blue eyes twinkling with sorrow behind them. A sad smile graced his face, but it didn't suit him. "You have a request, my Queen?"_

_"..."_

_And suddenly they were close, and there were tears, and the man shielded him from the loud noise that had just begun..._

...

"...thur. Arthur."

"Mmm?" Arthur felt something soft beneath his head. He could see darkness through his eyelids. Tiredly, he groaned, "What?"

"Arthur, are you okay?"

Arthur's eyes shot open, and the first thing he saw was Alfred looking down at him, his blond hair falling into his eyes.

"Alfred!"

Arthur shot up, scrambling to the other side of the bench as his face flushed. That dream...had Alfred been in his dream? He shook his head groggily.

And Alfred...if it _was_ Alfred, he had said something about a queen...

"I'm sorry, I must have fallen asleep..." Arthur apologized, trying to forget about it.

Alfred half-grinned. "I found you on my lap like this. What better wake-up call than _that_?"

Arthur blushed again, turning away.

"...It's still night. How long was I asleep?"

Alfred fidgeted awkwardly. He knew he should stop asking Alfred questions he couldn't answer.

He turned around, seeing Alfred staring at him. He jumped a bit, frowning. "Alfred...can you see me?"

"I was going to tell you, actually...you're kinda blurry, but you're less blob-like and more...you're shaped like a person."

Arthur's eyes widened.

"So...so you're saying, your eyesight is improving?"

"Yeah. It feels so great to see again, dude. You have no idea."

Arthur couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face at the miracle. How was it happening? Was it even possible?

No. There was something he needed to do. Quickly, his face hardened as he moved a bit closer to Alfred, looking at him seriously.

"Alfred, you refused to tell me before. But...I need to know this time. Right now. What was it that..." He paused, not sure how to phrase it. "When we first met," he began again. "You apologized to me, you told me you were sorry, implying that you did something horrible. Alfred. Please tell me what it is."

Just as Alfred's face fell, Arthur reached out and cupped his cheeks in his hands gently. Alfred looked up at him in surprise, his eyes slightly watery.

"A-Arthur, this isn't a good idea...you...you might get some bad memories..."

_Memories_. He recalled the dream again, but pushed it aside. He shook his head, his gaze intense. "Alfred. Please. Tell me."

"I can't...I can't put you through that again," Alfred said, his voice shaking. "Please, you have no idea..."

"Do you trust me?"

Alfred faced him, and straightforwardly responded, "Yes."

"Then tell me. Please."

Alfred moved closer to him suddenly, and Arthur dropped his hands. "Arthur," Alfred whispered, his voice low. "I...I'm not doing it just because you're asking. I...I want you to know. I _need_ you to know. And...and no matter what happens afterwards, I..." He looked as if he were about to cry. "Please, grant me one selfish wish before I tell you."

"Anything," Arthur responded automatically. Alfred was probably being dramatic anyway.

"Kiss me."

Arthur blinked, stunned. "E-Er..."

"Please. You..." Alfred chuckled to himself. "You probably won't ever want to touch me after I tell you anyway, so please..."

Arthur's face reddened as he moved closed to Alfred, shyly looking up at him.

He had long since realized he was in love with Alfred. He just didn't want to admit it. Didn't want to admit that he was in love with _bo__th_ sides, the endearingly sweet and insufferably stubborn Alfred, the Alfred he had known for a couple of months and the Alfred who seemed to know him way beyond that.

Alfred smiled at him, sensing his embarrassment, and Arthur quickly grabbed Alfred's shirt collar and tugged him down, gently pressing his lips to Alfred's.

It was supposed to be a kiss.

Just one kiss.

So how Arthur ended up with his back on the bottom of the bench as Alfred was over him was beyond comprehension. One kiss became two, and then Alfred had wrapped his arms around Arthur's waist, drawing him closer in. Then two became three, and Arthur ceased thinking, and three became four...

Four became five...

And then Alfred had pushed him down.

Finally, they broke for air, and Arthur's eyes were wide with embarrassment.

"Alfred! You said _one kiss_!"

"You don't like it?"

He couldn't deal with that puppy-dog look. Arthur sighed, trying to push himself up. "N-No, Alfred, you have to tell me, you promised -"

Alfred kissed him again, and it was quite a while until he responded.

"You told me that not everyone carries out on their promises."

Arthur frowned, puzzled, and he suddenly remembered - but he had told the _demon_ Alfred that as they had fled the house, leaving Gil and Liz behind.

"Alfred...when did I tell you that?"

Alfred frowned. "Uh...I don't remember, actually. I just remember you telling me that."

"Alfred..."

But Alfred seemed to sense his time was up. Staring down at Arthur with a heavy expression, he tried to compose himself, breathing hard. His face was flushed slightly, but much less than Arthur, who had gone beet red, and he slowly took a deep breath in.

"Arthur..."

"Alfred." Arthur reached up, brushing a strand of hair from Alfred's forehead. He gave him a gentle, reassuring smile. "It's all right. I can't think of anything so horrible that I would never talk to you again."

"Really?" Alfred scoffed, looking as if he were about to cry. Arthur frowned again, letting his hand fall unsurely.

But Alfred quickly caught it, interweaving it with his own.

"Arthur..." Alfred's voice was low. Vulnerable.

"Alfred, it's okay," Arthur repeated, his voice rising slightly with nervousness.

"Is it, though?" Alfred countered, a sudden anger in his blue eyes. An anger that poisoned him from within, that made the first tears fall. "Arthur..."

A pause.

"I..."

Arthur nodded encouragingly, a small smile on his face.

A smile that he vowed to keep until Alfred was done.

"I tortured you. And then I killed you."

* * *

Arthur's eyes widened as his blood ran cold, goosebumps chilling his flesh as he opened his mouth in shock.

He was speechless.

But he didn't have time to respond. Alfred's gaze was steady as streaks of black ran down his blond hair, his eyes slowly melting into red, his skin becoming paler and paler. For the first time, Alfred didn't cringe or faint when he changed back.

"I really am a demon," Alfred chuckled, his voice much lower. "Look what I've done to you. I told you, I'd kill you if I saw you crying again. Maybe I should put you out of your misery."

"A-Alfred," Arthur began, his voice small. He couldn't process what he had just been told. Alfred? Torturing and...and _killing_ him? It made no sense. And Alfred hadn't looked away as he transformed..."What...?"

Alfred suddenly put a palm to his head, wincing. "Fuck. I just...wait, what were we talking about?"

Arthur relaxed a bit. So the demon didn't remember. They weren't the same. Maybe...maybe Alfred was just getting stronger.

But since he was talking to the demon now, he didn't have to address what Alfred had just told him.

"Get off of me, you oaf," Arthur said, sitting up and lightly pushing Alfred off of him. Alfred complied strangely easily, watching Arthur with a wary expression.

Arthur sat at the edge of the bench, his eyebrows furrowed.

It was only then that he realized he was crying.

_Why_? He had felt no pain, no memories of pain, nothing...

But his heart hurt, his head hurt, and the shock of everything...

_Why? _That was all Arthur wanted to know. _Why _had he tortured him and _what_ drove Alfred to such desperation to kill Arthur in the first place? And Alfred didn't hate Arthur, either - in fact, Alfred was the one to admit to Arthur that he was in love with him first, so why...

Why would he kill someone he loved?

But Arthur was crying now, not from his mind, but from his heart - from a pain he didn't understand.

A pain that his past self might have.

He couldn't even fathom it at first, but if everything that Alfred had said was true, it was quite possible that Alfred had...a long time ago, Alfred could have met a different Arthur. And while Arthur had been born again normally, Alfred...

But Alfred had also denied the possibility of a human becoming a demon.

It was all too confusing, and the tears wouldn't stop falling...

"I told you," Alfred repeated, breaking Arthur out of his thoughts as Arthur felt himself being pulled against Alfred's chest. "I would kill you if I saw you cry again."

"So kill me," Arthur retorted miserably, crying into Alfred's shirt.

He didn't want to be hugged by this _creature_, this loathsome being who had killed him, but he didn't want to let go either, to lose Alfred again...

But deep down, Arthur knew that his love for Alfred was unchanged. As much as he hated to admit it, while their past disturbed him greatly, almost enough to unhinge him...it was still there. That feeling, that _warmth_ that Alfred always gave him...

He hated it. He _hated_ that he loved him, and he hated himself for it.

Because underneath everything, it still felt _right_.

He protested feebly, pushing against Alfred's chest, but the arms around him only tightened.

"That I will, mortal," came a voice, and as Arthur turned to look, he found himself staring at the narrow violet eyes of a man who could only be the Duke.

* * *

"Shit," Alfred hissed, standing up and pushing Arthur behind him. He turned around and nodded to Arthur, who slowly backed away from them until he was hiding behind a tree.

Regardless of how he was feeling, Arthur was strong enough to focus his mind on the task at hand.

It was something he couldn't afford to fail at.

"But you first, Alfred," the Duke stated simply, straightening out his silky, refined clothing. He adjusted his glasses briefly, and Arthur noticed that he had a beauty mark on the right side of his face under his mouth. Similar to Alfred, he also had a random curl stick out on the left side of his head, although his dark hair was quite neat. "Do you know how much trouble I've had to go through to find you?"

"Don't give a shit," Alfred retorted, his eyes dark and menacing. "What did you do to Liz and Gil?"

The Duke looked up suddenly, sniffing the air. "Ah. You have a trap laid."

Alfred pretended to look shocked. He turned to Arthur, flashing a peace sign behind his back. Arthur quickly nodded, pretending to look ashamed as he silently walked over behind Alfred. He took the dagger Alfred had stashed in his belt behind his back.

"And since _you_ wouldn't know much of demon magic, I'd assume your accomplice is your...friend, here," the Duke commented disdainfully, shaking his head. "I'm frankly surprised that a mortal has so much knowledge."

"You flatter me," Arthur said flatly, slowly retreating back to the tree. Placing both hands behind his back, he quickly slit his palm with the dagger, pressing it the trunk of the tree. The darkness and foliage managed to hide his actions well, and the Duke's attention was quickly on Alfred again anyway.

"So. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

"Where are Liz and Gil?" Alfred repeated, his body tense. Waiting.

Arthur suddenly approached the Duke, a frown on his face. "So you're the Duke?"

"Wait your turn, mortal."

"I don't think I shall," Arthur said offhandedly, walking towards the circle and symbols they had drawn on the ground under the grass.

The Duke cracked a smile. "Ah. You're trying to lure me, are you? I see your little trap. Anyone can spot it from a mile away."

"Oh, do you?"

"Besides, a low level trap like that one? Any demon such as I can escape. Why did you not bother to test your little contraption on Alfred here?"

"You don't _need_ a trap to restrain Alfred." He silently flashed a peace sign at Alfred again, and then another one right after that.

"Oh?" Alfred pretended to be offended, stalking over to Arthur with a predatory look. "And how would you go about that, little lion?"

Alfred was moving out of the way, but the Duke stubbornly stayed in place, watching them with disapproving eyes.

"You can fight all you want in _prison_, Alfred," he said.

He had only noticed the blood on Arthur's hands too late.

Suddenly, the tree began to crackle, and the Duke whirled around in surprise.

A tree branch suddenly swung out, wrapping itself around the Duke.

"What the - unhand me, you beast!"

"It's not a _beast_," Arthur laughed, unable to help his victorious smirk. It really gave him a boost, after Alfred's revelation. "It's a _tree. _It's _life_, and it doesn't welcome you here."

The Duke scoffed.

"Seriously. Now that we have time on our hands, Roddy, I say we get to know each other _real _well. Let's start with Liz and Gil." Alfred stretched as he casually walked towards the Duke.

_Roddy? _Was that his name?

"Roderich," Alfred said to Arthur curtly, as if sensing his thoughts. Arthur nodded.

"So, I don't think you have the heart to kill Gil. Or Liz. Especially Liz. Haha. Get it? Don't have the _heart_."

Roderich looked offended. "What would a couple of low level demons mean to me?"

"Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that. You're in love with her, that much is painfully obvious," Alfred laughed, his eyes merciless. "So where are they? Even _you'd_ break the rules for your sweetheart."

Roderich looked stunned at that, his eyes widening in shock. "O-Of course not! However," he said, clearing his throat. "You are correct. They are not dead. Merely...detained. Permanently."

Arthur's eyes widened in surprise. Alfred had gotten so much out of him in so short a time.

"And you're after me, why?" Alfred asked casually.

Roderich's eyes narrowed. "You don't belong here."

"All right. We'll make a deal. You let them go. I come with you in peace."

Arthur shot towards Alfred, grabbing his arm. "Alfred, what are you -"

Alfred shook his head. "It'll be fine."

"No, it won't, you git, you can't just hop on out of prison once you -"

"Shhh. Down, little lion."

Arthur's temper flared up as he shoved Alfred aside, fully facing Roderich. "All right, Duke. Tell me. Is it possible for a human to become a demon?"

Roderich's eyes widened. "Why would you ask such a thing?"

"For a friend."

Roderich pursed his lips, then looked to Alfred curiously. "...It isn't impossible."

Alfred scoffed. "Humoring him?"

"No. For the proof is right in front of him," Roderich said with a careful smile, and he suddenly regarded Arthur curiously. "But how you found out, _that_ is what I am curious about."

"If you let Alfred go, I'll tell you," Arthur responded, wary.

"Hmm. No can do. That demon deserves to be locked up, for what he's done."

Arthur's heartbeat sped up again.

_I tortured you. And then I killed you._

"Y-You...do you know what he did?"

"Shut up, Roderich," Alfred interrupted.

Arthur whirled on him. "You said you didn't remember! Don't you want to know?"

"It...it isn't important," Alfred muttered.

Roderich looked at them curiously, as if they were specimens he were experimenting on. "Curious. Very curious." He cleared his throat.

"I understand what Gilbert was trying to do now. And while Elizaveta was foolish to accompany him, I can understand the...sympathies she shared. However, it seems as if it wasn't good enough." He smiled pityingly at them. "A good team, you two make. I wonder if you know, Arthur...is that your name?"

Arthur nodded, unable to tear his eyes away from Roderich's.

"I wonder if you know, Arthur...about how your last life ended."

Arthur gulped. "I..." His mouth was dry.

Roderich smiled again. "Of course, Alfred must have repressed it from his memory. But _you_..." He tilted his head. "Have your memories really not come back? Because if they have, you would have used your dagger to kill him, not save him. Leave him to me, mortal." Roderich's eyes softened. "I'll take care of him. I will allow you to go back to your normal life."

Alfred had stood there, stunned, until his eyes flared at Roderich's accusation. "What the _fuck_, Duke."

"It's too late," Arthur interrupted, his eyes blurry. "I know what he did, Roderich. And...and it's true, I don't...remember, but..." Talking was becoming difficult. "I...I'm sure...a reason..."

A second later, he collapsed, Alfred's voice ringing in his ears.

_'Anxiety arrives with the dawn, to find me still crying..._

_When you whispered 'it's all right,' did I hear tears in your voice, too?'_


	10. Confession

_Hi everyone! Thank you for reading._

_I hope you enjoy the next chapter, and **please** remember to review and let me know your thoughts!_

_As a side note(although this will make sense later in the chapter, I'll explain it here since I won't do a backstory in the chapter itself): As stated in the first chapter, the story takes place in the kingdom of Alar, which was a small, weak kingdom up until a century ago. The republic of Jonek used to be a country that bordered Alar, but a century ago there was a lot of infighting in the government that resulted in the country being split up into factions. Alar and another kingdom invaded and split up the country, resulting in Jonek's demise._

_Although the setting/kingdom of the story is not really that important, a lot of references are brought up during this chapter, so reading the above note will be helpful!_

* * *

_"Arthur!"_

_Arthur's eyes fluttered open, and he found Alfred gazing down at him, his smile a bit different than normal._

_**Was** that Alfred?_

_"Alfred! Did I wake up late? And you have your meeting today too..." Arthur heard himself groan as he tried to sit up. But Alfred pushed up back down again._

_"Morning, darling~"_

_"Alfred, I told you to stop it with the pet names."_

_"Awww, why?" Alfred adjusted his blue coat, a spade emblem engraved on his pocket. "Come on..." _

_He bent down and kissed Arthur slowly, drawing away teasingly as he shrugged. "I actually don't know about the meeting, though."_

_Arthur felt panic rush through him. "Just wait a moment, I'll check the schedule -"_

_"Why don't we just enjoy ourselves today?"_

_..._

_"Alfred, for the last time, I told you, you **can't** just walk into a fancy restaurant wearing a T-shirt and jeans."_

_"Awww, why not?" Alfred stared down at him as he pouted. He was dressed casually, his hair ruffled and unkempt. He was wearing glasses that had a red rim._

_"Because it's impolite! Imagine what others will think -"_

_"I don't care what others think. What do **you** think?"_

_"W-Well...you look unbearably handsome. But that's beside the point!"_

_"Awww...gosh, you really think so?"_

_"Shut up."_

_..._

Arthur opened his eyes immediately, and he found himself lying on the field with Alfred propping his shoulders up, holding him and gazing at his face with concern.

"Arthur! Fuck, I was freaking out..." Alfred let out a huge sigh.

"Al...fred?"

The difference was jarring. Compared to the starry, blue-eyed Alfred of his dreams,_ this_ Alfred was a total change...

He remembered having a similar dream before, but he couldn't remember anymore.

"Roderich!" Arthur exclaimed, remembering everything suddenly as he looked around.

He found no sign of the demon. Even the tree seemed like it had gone back to normal.

"Uh..." Alfred scratched behind his neck. "Long story there."

"I have time."

"He...sort of...escaped..."

Arthur's eyes widened. "Alfred, how could he have _possibly_ escaped? We had him tied to that tree -"

"Yeah, but the thing is, that tree was using _your_ blood. Tied to _your_ life. It sucked all the energy out of you, and you fainted." Alfred poked Arthur's forehead irritatedly. "I told you, you're so fucking annoying. Stop overdoing it."

Arthur sat up, dusting himself off as Alfred crouched beside him. "I'm _fine_, I assure you. So? Where did he take off to?"

"...I think he said he was going to come back. We weakened him, at least."

"Great," Arthur groaned. "And we can't use the same trick twice."

Alfred sighed sympathetically, before he turned to Arthur with a peculiar look in his eyes.

"What was he talking about, before?"

"About what?"

"He was saying...something that I did to you?" Alfred was frowning now.

Arthur's eyes widened. "Oh...oh, that. Don't worry about it. Not your problem."

"But it is," Alfred insisted, more disturbed now. "And what was he saying about a human turned demon right in front of..." Alfred trailed off, his eyes widening. "Wait."

Arthur looked at him sorrowfully. He didn't want Alfred to have to find out this way.

The morning rays began reflecting off the glistening dew on the plants, signaling the dawn. Arthur quickly took Alfred's hand, smiling at him.

"Shall we take a walk?"

Arthur didn't notice the white feather that had been in his lap before he had woken up. It fell to the ground as he stood up, forgotten as the two walked away.

* * *

"So...so you're telling me, all this time, I was part _human_?"

"Yes. And you both don't remember anything."

"So...that's what all those blackouts were."

"Yes."

"Shit. Shit shit _shit_. So what the hell did I do that..." Alfred ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "I don't remember any of it."

Their hands were linked, their pulses matched, as they walked on the outskirts of the town. At first Arthur had been embarrassed at his boldness, embarrassed at the concept of holding hands, but now it felt natural and he was honestly past caring.

"But...Roderich was implying that I hurt you," Alfred said after a while, his voice gruff. He turned to Arthur. "And you said you _knew_. What did I do?"

"I don't know the details, to be honest," Arthur confessed. "I asked...I asked you, at night, and you said that..." Arthur took a deep breath. "You said that you tortured me and killed me."

Alfred froze, his hand rigid. Suddenly, he squeezed Arthur's hand tightly, his eyes downcast.

"Never," he said, in the smallest voice Arthur had ever heard him use. "I would never do that."

"You did, apparently. And that's how you ended up like this. But Alfred," Arthur said suddenly, walking ahead and turning around.

Alfred stopped.

"It's...it's all right, it's...don't worry about me. And don't mull over the past. What is the future you want?"

Alfred looked at him, stunned. "Future...?"

"What do you want to do from here? Are you going to run? Or face it?"

"How can I have a future when my past is a lie?"

Alfred slouched a bit, his eyes dark. "Everything, all this...you're saying...this isn't...this whole thing is a punishment."

Arthur paused, not knowing how to respond.

"No," he said after a while. "It's simply what you've become. You've _become_ a demon. Or at least, partly demon."

"That doesn't even make sense. You're either a demon or you're not."

"Ever heard of half-demon?" Arthur teased, and Alfred looked at him blankly. "...I suppose not."

Alfred ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "What the hell, this is so..." He looked down at his hands. "So am I a mistake then?"

He sounded so weak. So confused, so hopeless. And in Arthur's quest to fix Alfred, he had made him like this.

Suddenly, Arthur spun and around and took both of Alfred's hands in his own. He noticed that Alfred's hands were warmer than usual.

Alfred looked up at him in surprise.

"Alfred. Listen to me." Arthur didn't know where his words were coming from.

But unless he told Alfred now...

"You are not a mistake. You are certainly not a lie, nor an illusion, nor an anomaly. You are _Alfred_, and considering I know both sides of you, let me tell you this - you are _both _rash and obnoxious, and can be petulant, insufferable _brats_ \- but you are strong, you are confident, you are assertive when nobody else will be and most of all, you are _you _and nothing will change that."

Alfred held his gaze steadily, his eyes wide. But Arthur didn't stop.

"Honestly, everyone has a good side and a bad side. Good days and bad days. You and the other side of you are essentially two sides of the same coin. Deep down, you're the same. So _what_ if one of you used to make my blood run cold and the other hot?"

He thought he saw the tips of Alfred's mouth twitch upwards into a slight smirk, but he tried to ignore it as he began to blush.

Arthur wasn't used to talking this much. But he _had_ to continue.

"You know, Alfred...I was wrong about you," Arthur admitted, his voice soft now. Gentle. "And for that, I apologize. You're _more_ than just a heartless brute. Because, trust me..." Arthur smiled. "You have one."

Arthur's eyes widened as he saw Alfred's reaction.

Alfred, the pale, brutish, deadly _demon_ was _blushing. _

Arthur froze, not knowing how to react, as he slowly dropped his hands, his face burning with embarrassment.

Maybe he shouldn't have said that. He was too bold, too _stupid_ and he was acting like he knew everything about Alfred...

Alfred reached for Arthur then, one arm snaking around his waist as he drew Arthur closer to him, and soon their faces were inches apart.

"I told you, little lion. I'll always lose to you."

And then he kissed him. But it wasn't like the last time, when he was forceful, possessive, terrifying - he was still a demon, no doubt, but the kiss was inexplicably human. Without being able to see him, Arthur honestly couldn't tell whether he was kissing the human Alfred or the demon Alfred.

Arthur felt as if fire was running through his veins as Alfred deepened the kiss, and he sought out Alfred's chest, clinging to his shirt as he drew himself closer. Alfred adjusted for him, bringing him closer still, as time seemed to stop.

When they finally parted, Alfred's eyes were glazed over slightly, and Arthur didn't even want to think about what he looked like.

"I love you," Alfred said suddenly, so suddenly that Arthur felt his mouth drop open in surprise.

"A-Alfred -"

"Shit, you're so annoying. I love you," Alfred said again, as if surprising himself. His demon bite seemed to be back as he frowned, trying to understand his feelings. "I don't get it. Fuck."

Arthur laughed. "Alfred...I...I love you too," he said, but he had known it for a long time.

It was hard. _So hard_ to say those words, to admit everything he didn't want to admit. His mind screamed for him to push Alfred away, but he was so tired of that, tired of _denying_ what had felt right the entire time...

And suddenly, Alfred smiled at him, and Arthur could swear he saw echoes of the other Alfred. It wasn't his usual mean or aggressive smirk, but an actual _smile_, one that he never would have thought Alfred capable of.

"So, do we have to fight over who's gonna be alpha?"

"_Excuse me_?"

"You know, who gets to be head of the pride? There can't be two male lions."

"You idiot. Alphas are for _wolves_. Let's get you figured out first," Arthur sighed, lightly hitting him on the chest.

"We'll get through this together, Alfred. I promise."

* * *

"So how long are we gonna wait for Rod again?"

"You told me he was coming back."

"Yeah. I said that. I also told him to fuck off."

Arthur groaned. "We don't need him more angry with us than he already is, Alfred."

"I know. So. In the meantime," Alfred said, a sly grin sneaking onto his face. "Nice place you got here."

Naturally, he had taken Alfred to his home to wait, since the weather outside was chilly and they wanted some privacy to discuss their new plans. They sat inside the living room of Arthur's small home, Alfred lounging on the couch as Arthur sat in a chair sipping his warm tea.

"Yes. It's quaint, and it's quite close to work, which is convenient for me."

"I see. What do you do again? You edit or something?"

"Yes, novels and the like."

"Huh."

"And what do _you_ do with all your time, Alfred?"

Alfred grinned. "You curious? I can tell you all about it..." he continued in a low voice. "I used to go into town a lot, got in some fights, might have broken some bones. Not mine. And -"

Alfred hunched over suddenly, grunting in pain, and Arthur rushed over to him, by his side in an instant.

"Alfred. Alfred!"

Alfred let out a sigh, and Arthur watched with undying amazement as black become blond and red become blue.

Alfred sat up, and he immediately looked at Arthur.

"Arthur...you're like...really clear."

"What?"

"Wow," Alfred exclaimed, laughing. "I can see you more clearly now. You're like magic."

Arthur blushed slightly. "W-Whatever, you git. Are you feeling all right?"

"Better than ever!" Alfred chirped, looking around. "Uh...where are we?"

"My house."

Alfred's eyes widened. "Whoa! I need a tour!"

"Oh, shush. I need to ask you something first."

"Yeah?" Alfred's voice wavered.

"I need to ask you _why_. You know what I'm talking about, and don't pretend like you don't."

Alfred paused. "Uh...no, I don't..."

"Yes you do, Alfred," Arthur groaned. "Please, I can't make this any easier...I need to know. For me, and for you."

"Uh...can I get the tour first?"

"Will you promise to tell me after that?"

"...Maybe."

Arthur sighed. Alfred seemed to want to avoid the subject at all costs. And besides, he had just transformed - it would be nice to spend some time with him before the mood darkened.

Of course, he'd never admit that.

"Well. Come on, then," Arthur said as he stood up. "It's not much, but it's my home."

First, he showed Alfred the kitchen, which was a tiny room with sleek white walls and a small alabaster clock.

"Painted it myself," Arthur muttered, embarrassed.

It was true. When he was little, he had always held an interest in the arts - whether they be literature, embroidery, or even fine art - but the one thing he never was able to do was painting. So, he sought out a bucket of white paint and painted his kitchen walls once he had his own place.

A small rebellion against his parents who thought nothing of him.

"Whoa," Alfred breathed. "It's really neat. Well done. Like you, you know?"

Arthur blushed despite his attempts to hide it.

"I-Is it, now...can you see it clearly?"

"Uh...kind of. Sometimes. I told you, I could see you."

Alfred looked around at the room, and then he walked over to the clock, studying it.

"Huh. Didn't know they had these in Jonek. Alar's the country with all the alabaster mines..."

Arthur froze.

Alfred turned to look at him, a slight smile on his face.

"Speaking of which, where are we?"

"A-Alfred..." Arthur began hesitantly.

It was impossible. But it made sense, at the same time.

"Jonek dissolved over a century ago."

Alfred's eyes widened.

"_What_?"

"T-The Jonekian court broke into factions and had a power struggle, and Alar...well, Alar took over the western half."

"_Alar_? You mean that small spat of land you used to call home?"

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Small spat of land, you say? We're the strongest kingdom on this continent."

Alfred laughed. "Yeah, right. Jonek is the land of freedom, so it's naturally the strongest."

"As I told you before, Alfred, Jonek doesn't _exist_ anymore. It's been over a century since..."

"..._oh_," Alfred said in a small voice, as if something finally clicked. "So that's how long it's been," he said, his voice deeper and more wistful.

He looked up at Arthur slowly, a sudden sorrow in his eyes. "I've spent a hundred years without you."

Arthur felt his heartbeat speed up as his heart twinged in pain. He didn't know why...after all, he didn't remember anything.

Suddenly, Alfred's eyes widened, and he frowned slightly.

"Wait...you said _kingdom_? So you guys have, like, a single ruler and stuff?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

"Uh. Dude. Bad idea."

Arthur chuckled. "Yes, our monarch isn't the best and brightest, but..."

"Tell me about it. I can give you a hundred historical examples of why that's a _bad_ _idea_. I mean, that's why people established Jonek in the first place! For freedom!"

"Alfred, I'm fully up to date on Alar's history; I can give you a handful of examples from this past century alone that highlight Alar's shortcomings."

"That's why you guys should have a _democracy_. Just overthrow your king or whatever and establish a democracy!"

"Alfred, our problems are not so simple such that we can _overthrow a king_, and how on earth are we supposed to do that anyway?"

"Uh..." Alfred smiled. "Revolution?"

"And how well do those work out, pray tell?" Arthur retorted sarcastically.

"You got me there," Alfred sighed. "But still. There's a small chance it _does_ work out, right?"

"Alfred," Arthur began gently, "You do understand why Jonek dissolved in the first place, yes? Utter chaos and disorganization."

Alfred frowned.

"Yeah, I mean, that makes sense, but..."

"Besides, how else would you have tricked those soldiers?" Arthur asked with a laugh.

He quickly frowned.

Wait.._.what?_

"What did you say?" Alfred asked, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"I...I don't know. I'm sorry. It just sort of came out."

"You said you didn't remember anything, right?"

Arthur nodded quickly, looking up again. "A-Anyway," he said quickly, wanting to avoid the topic. "Here we go. This is the kitchen." As he turned to exit, he felt Alfred's firm grip on his shoulder, and took a quick breath before turning around to face him.

"A-Alfred..."

"Before," Alfred said, his eyes slightly dimmer, "when you...when I sang the song, you...you said you recognized it."

Arthur's eyes widened. "Yes...yes, I do know...well, I can't recall the lyrics to my mind presently, but I do...I hear it in my head countless times, and...recently, it's always been when I'm around _you_."

A knock on the door shattered the moment as they both spun around. Arthur quickly made his way to the door, looking through the hole before opening it hesitantly.

"Francis..."

"So you've been _home_ and haven't been to work to see me?"

Francis looked paler than normal, a bit of sweat on his forehead as he pushed the hair out of his face. "You see, I've asked certain people to...to report to me, if they saw you -"

"Francis, you were having me _stalked_?"

"_Non, non_, you crazy boy! I simply wanted to know when you would return!"

Francis suddenly froze as he saw Alfred approaching, his eyes widening. "It's...it's _you_, from the bar."

Alfred seemed to stiffen, his eyes wide and his jaw set hard. "Francis."

For the first time, Arthur heard unmasked menace in the human Alfred's voice. Alfred stood beside Arthur, brooding.

"Wait...pardon me, I must be mistaken," Francis began unsurely, staring at Alfred with a frown. "The gentleman...if he can be called that...I met in the tavern had red eyes instead," he said to Arthur.

"Y-You met Alfred?"

Francis' eyes widened. "You know him?"

Arthur held his tongue. Should he..._could_ he trust Francis with this? Should he tell him everything?

Something told Arthur to keep it to himself.

"So you're here, even now," Alfred accused darkly, his gaze piercing. "Just can't leave us alone, huh, Francis?"

"Pardon me, I don't think I've met you before," Francis said as politely as he could, smiling slightly. "As you know, my name is Francis. May I ask yours?"

"Doesn't matter," he responded in the most hostile way possible, taking a threatening step forward.

Francis stepped back a bit. "A-Ah, well..."

Arthur had _never_ seen anyone bully Francis the way Alfred was doing. It was usually the other way around. "Alfred," Arthur hissed, jabbing him in the side. "Mind your manners."

Alfred seemed to know Francis. Then...was it possible that, in their previous lives, or whatever time Alfred was from, that Francis was there as well?

How had they managed to meet each other again?

"His name is Alfred," Arthur said awkwardly, apologizing with his eyes. "And...he...looks quite similar to the _other_ Alfred, I know. But they're...different."

"You said we were the same," Alfred murmured sullenly. "Two sides of the same coin."

"You...you _remember_ that?"

"Uh...yeah."

"Anyway," he said, turning to Francis. "W-Would you like to come in?"

Francis looked at Alfred, then back to Arthur. "I...I'll take my leave for now. Just...come into the office whenever you're, ah...ready."

Arthur smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry about this, Francis, but..."

"No worries," he said tightly, eyeing Alfred again before he departed.

As soon as he closed the door, Arthur whirled on Alfred.

"What the _hell _was _that_?"

Alfred winced. "...he's bad news."

"What?"

"He's not...don't go near him again."

Arthur sighed. "Alfred, will you _please_ explain something for once in your life? And how can I not go near him when he's my _boss_?"

"Do you like him?"

Again with the jealousy.

"Well...frankly, he annoys me. But he's good at what he does, no doubt, and he's suave in his mannerisms and dealing with people, but honestly -"

"So you _do_ like him?" Alfred pressed stubbornly.

"Well...I have mixed feelings," Arthur admitted. There was something else, though. Something he'd never admit.

No. He knew he needed to quash this now, or else he'd never hear the end of it.

"Oh, but I don't...I don't like him in _that way_, Alfred."

"What do you mean?" Alfred was teasing him at this point.

"Oh...sod off, you oaf," Arthur said, pushing past Alfred. "Do you want the rest of the tour or not?"

"Yes please!"

"Then tell me how you knew Francis."

Alfred fell silent.

"He was your lover."

"_Excuse me_?"

"Yeah. But you don't remember, do you."

His voice was cruel. Accusing.

"Why would I...Alfred, how could I ever _love_ that..."

But Arthur knew his words were false. Because he did, once.

When he was lonely. And very, very desperate.

And he couldn't deny that it was good while it lasted - but it had always felt a little false, and both of them knew it. But Arthur had wanted him anyway.

"You did," Alfred continued darkly. "You did, even after...even after everything _we'd _been through, you still went back to him...and now he's _here_, too..." His eyes became watery at first, but they suddenly hardened in rage.

"And this time, I won't miss."


	11. Hope

_Hi everyone! Thank you for continuing to read this story, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter! I really appreciate reviews as well; thank you to all of you who have taken the time to let me know your thoughts!_

_Please don't forget to review!_

* * *

Alfred's previously calm blue eyes sharpened intensely, blossoming into a rather menacing, violent shade of red.

Arthur froze, his heart pounding in his chest. Alfred's hair was still golden, but his eyes had changed, and now the combo was rather unsettling.

But why had he become so angry as to almost change back at the sight of Francis? He had mentioned something about being lovers before, but...but that was ridiculous, they couldn't possibly have...

_Jealousy_.

And now Alfred's hair followed his heart, the gold fading to a dark, smothering black.

"What do you mean, you won't miss?" Arthur began unsurely, resisting the urge to take a step backwards.

Alfred's eyes narrowed. "I told you. I will kill him the next time he dares to look at you."

"_Alfred_!"

He knew he had to do something to eradicate this insecurity of Alfred's. It was as if it were gnawing at _Arthur_ as much as it was at Alfred, and he had the feeling that Alfred could become dangerous and destructive were Arthur to leave questions unanswered.

Arthur took Alfred's hand suddenly. It was unbelievably cold. "Alfred. Come."

Alfred allowed Arthur to lead him to the living room again, sitting down on the couch next to Arthur.

He was beginning to suspect jealously was one of the factors that turned him demon in the first place. Insecurity. Rage. Anxiety. It was all there, a deadly, monstrous bouquet in Alfred's eyes.

All stemming from a love he didn't understand.

"Alfred. I need to admit something to you. But you have to promise you won't become angry."

"Angry? Hah." Alfred scoffed. "I'm _past_ that right now, little lion."

"Alfred."

"..."

"_Alfred._"

"Fuck. I don't care. Just say it," he growled, his knee bobbing up and down impatiently.

Arthur sighed. "Before...before I met you, there was a time...when I was a teenager, I, um...I realized that I was different from everybody else."

Really? He'd never imagine he'd reveal one of the darkest parts of himself for anyone, least of all a demon. A very precious demon. Who he fell in love with.

He blushed as he thought about it. Everything he tried to repress for so long...

Then again, he _had_ technically admitted his feelings not too long ago. He flushed as he recalled it, and he quickly tried to push away the memories.

Alfred looked at him curiously. "How so?"

"Well, I...while everyone else talked of marriage, of children, I...I preferred the company of my own gender," he finished, feeling his face grow redder and redder. "And I was...a bit of an oddity, as you can imagine. I got along well enough with girls, of course, but..."

"You wanted to fuck guys."

Arthur's eyes shot up to Alfred's amused ones. "Y-You don't have to put it like that!" Arthur spluttered, horribly embarrassed.

"Go on. You told me you loved me anyway; there's no point being shy about it," Alfred pointed out smugly, a sly smirk on his face.

Arthur seethed silently as he continued. "Shut up. A-Anyway, Francis, he was different as well - he cared for _both_ genders, as it were. And we had known each other for a while. But we bickered often, and really, we never got along that well. But one day, he found out that I liked men, and he...he said that there was nothing wrong with that."

Alfred's gaze hardened.

"And I began to trust him with...that part of myself. And one night I was very, very drunk, and we...well, I started dating him for a couple of months after that night. But we broke it off quickly," Arthur said hurriedly. "We realized it wasn't real. We were both desperate. Drunk a lot of the time. And we realized we were better off as friends and/or enemies than as...well, lovers."

Although Arthur thought he had done a fine job of explaining, Alfred still clenched his jaw tightly, a frown on his face.

"Funny, because that's _exactly what happened last time_."

"Pardon?"

Alfred's gaze grew darker. "You and him. You were together before you met me. Damn it!" He punched the sofa angrily, and the force of the blast caused the sofa to rock a bit. "Why am I always _second_?"

So was the demon Alfred was beginning to recover his memories, then?

"Alfred."

Alfred seemed to sense the anger in Arthur's voice, and he quickly looked up at him.

Arthur stood up, his hands curled into fists.

"Alfred, I am not going to _explain _myself to you further. Be jealous all you want. You do not _own _me, and I am responsible for my own decisions. I chose to be weak when I chose to be with Francis."

Alfred's nostrils flared dangerously, and his eyes were ice as he stood up, inches away from Arthur.

"But I realized it was a _mistake_," Arthur continued, his voice unwavering. "Something I should never have done. But I am stronger for it."

He forced himself to smile at Alfred.

"And later, I realized how much of a fool I was. Because if I'd only waited..." he said, walking to Alfred and taking his hand.

_I'd have realized that my true love was waiting right here, all along._

He blushed as he thought about it. All of the things that he wanted to say, all the things he couldn't. He cleared his throat, continuing, "I-I don't regret fooling around with Francis. I don't regret the pain and shame that I felt. Because it led me to you, the one that...that I...er...love. Truly."

Alfred's eyes widened.

Arthur's surprised expression mirrored Alfred's as Alfred suddenly transformed back again, but Alfred himself was unaware of it as he took Arthur's other hand in his own.

"I love you."

"Y-Yes, well, I gathered that," Arthur stuttered, trying not to blush more than he already was.

"You said I'm your true love."

"I-I don't recall..." He was red now, and he knew it.

"Damn it, Arthur," Alfred pouted. "You can't just take back what you just told me!"

"Told you what? When?" He straightened up. "I hope you took all of that in, because I will not be saying it again. In any way, shape, or form."

"Awww...I should have written it down."

"Thank goodness you didn't," Arthur muttered irritatedly, looking away.

"Can you say it again?" Alfred pleaded teasingly.

Arthur crossed his arms over his chest. "Try me."

A knock on the door interrupted them again. Alfred's eyes narrowed.

It couldn't be Francis. Arthur warily made his way over to the door, and he gasped as he looked through the hole.

_Gilbert._

* * *

"Gilbert, are you all right? Good God, man, what _happened_ to you?"

His clothes were torn and tattered, and his visible skin was sprinkled with bruises and cuts. His face was much paler than normal, and his eyes seemed tired and unfocused. His silver hair was unkempt, and patches of it seemed to be missing in some places.

"Gil, you're...alive," Alfred murmured in a low voice, and Arthur hadn't noticed him transform back to his demon state. Arthur looked at him in surprise as he continued. "You're here. You're alive."

"Barely, Al," Gilbert managed with a crooked grin, wincing. "Lemme in."

Arthur hurriedly led him to the couch, where he sat down with a groan.

"What happened? How did you survive?"

"Didn't. Not at first. Turns out we went through a portal. One-way ticket to Hell, no stops included."

"S-So...you went back?"

"Yep. And Liz risked her life to get me back here. In fact..." Gilbert frowned. "That was the best prison break. Like, ever. I don't know how that crazy bitch managed to rally them all to save my ass, but hot damn. Oh yeah. Roddy says hi."

Alfred's eyes narrowed. "He came back?"

"Yeah, something about you guys trapping him. Nice work, by the way. Helped me escape too. And they'll be here in like, 5 minutes, so we need to get a move on." Gilbert stared at Arthur. "You get it by now, right?"

Arthur nodded. "I explained to Alfred as well. The changes are becoming more frequent, and sometimes he doesn't notice when he changes."

"What?"

"Shush, Alfred!" Arthur and Gilbert said in unison.

Alfred growled at them.

"You?" Gilbert demanded suddenly. "Do you remember anything?"

"Alfred doesn't seem to want to tell me what happened. But no. I don't remember anything at all."

"Shit," Gilbert cursed. "Okay, whatever. That shouldn't matter too much," he murmured to himself, frowning. "Okay. Great. Art, you know what you're doing."

"Hardly."

Gilbert laughed. "Yeah, you do. Shit, I'm so glad it was _you_ and not some pushover this whole thing depended upon. Okay. Yeah."

"Gilbert, can you please explain what's happening? You seem to know a lot more than both of us."

Gilbert's eyes darkened. "No. I don't know anything."

"Clearly you do, Gilbert."

"I..." Gilbert stopped. "I can't tell you. Unless you want things to be more screwed up."

_How on earth could it get any worse?_

"Gilbert, if you'd just tell us, this whole process could be expedited -"

"You have to figure it out. It's like...think of it as a test," Gilbert said, grinning. "Yeah. A test. I'm the one who caused this mess. Now you guys have to piece it back together." Suddenly, his eyes looked unfocused as he peered at Arthur.

"Hey. You have a run in with an angel lately?"

Arthur froze, frowning. "What?"

"Uh...nothing," Gilbert said, shaking his head. "It's probably nothing. Hmm. Anything weird happen to you lately?"

The dreams flashed in his mind, but he knew that couldn't be significant. Dreams were dreams, after all. "My whole life has been weird lately," Arthur scoffed.

Gilbert laughed. "Still got it, Art. You still got it."

"So what do you expect us to do now?"

"What I expect _you_ to do," Gilbert said, turning on Arthur, "Is to survive. And protect this dumbass over here. And what I expect _Al_ to do is stop bitching about dumb shit and get his act together."

Alfred growled at him again. "What the _fuck_, Gil?"

"I meant it," Gil said, his voice wavering slightly. He coughed. "Anyway. Art's the prince, you're the princess, so get your shit together and _move it _because Roddy's gonna - oh, fuck."

Arthur barely had time to blink before the door burst open and people - no, _demons _\- began to pour into the room.

"Al. This is the point where you start _running_," Gilbert hissed, his eyes suddenly glowing red.

Alfred growled, instead positioning himself between the demons and Arthur.

Soon enough, Roderich casually walked into the room, a shorter, blond male demon next to him.

"Lieutenant. I trust you know your target."

"I can see him from miles away. _Smell _him," the smaller man replied, his green eyes harsh and unforgiving.

Arthur gulped. He turned to Alfred, who seemed, as strong as he was, undeniably outnumbered.

Alfred suddenly turned to Arthur, a sad, conflicted expression on his face.

And Arthur understood.

Alfred didn't want to leave him, but he doubted Alfred could get them both out safely.

And Alfred would never leave without Arthur.

He shut his eyes, thinking.

And suddenly, he had an idea. A far-fetched one, at that. It probably wouldn't even work. But it was worth a shot.

Arthur suddenly tapped Alfred and flashed two of his fingers at him. Alfred's eyes widened in surprise, and he nodded, a small smirk on his face.

"Got it."

"Any last words, _traitor_?" Roderich asked, his eyes cold. "Because you won't be escaping again."

"Awww...Roddy baby, say my name," Gilbert cooed condescendingly. "You _know_ you _want_ to."

Roderich shuddered in disgust. "Take him, Vash."

The shorter man, the Lieutenant, shot forward suddenly, barreling Gilbert in the stomach. The last Arthur saw of him was Gilbert crouched over, coughing up blood, before Arthur ran out of the room towards his own.

Some of the demons had followed him, and Arthur quickly shut the door to his room, adrenaline surging through his body.

_Where is it...where is it..._

He rifled through his drawers and nightstand, searching for the stone as he heard harsh pounding on the door.

The stone. The last remnant of his childhood dreams, his interest in the supernatural, everything that everyone had beaten out of him - he had kept one last thing, the stone his brothers had told him was just a rock, the stone he had spent his childhood wishing was magic...

The stone that he had wanted to protect him way back then, that he hoped would turn into something that would beat back his enemies, until he grew jaded and realized that nothing at all was ever going to protect him.

So he had to protect himself. But there was something about that stone...

Something that just seemed different.

But he knew he couldn't wish for big things.

All he could wish for was luck.

That was why he had never used it. Until now. Until this moment, when Alfred was going to be taken away, when everyone, everything he had lived for was about to be destroyed - now was the _only_ time to use it. That was probably why it randomly resurfaced from his memories, the small, insignificant rock that seemed to promise nothing...

It was all he had.

He still wasn't sure if it was an ordinary rock used as a placebo or an actual magical or supernatural artifact - either way, he had to try.

Drawing out a dagger from his nightstand, he quickly slashed his arm, barely wincing as he pressed his finger to it, drawing a circle, a star, and symbols on his door. He quickly coated the stone in his blood and jammed it into the door.

Was it just him, or did it begin to _glow_?

Even if the stone didn't work, the circle surely would. No harm done in an extra touch of possible magic.

It was confidence he needed. And luck. An _unbelievable_ amount of dumb luck.

Arthur quickly pressed his two palms to it, counting to three.

And then he let out a breath.

And all went black.

* * *

"...right...um...Are you all right?"

Arthur slowly opened his eyes.

Everything hurt. He squinted. He must be outside. He found himself looking up at the sky, and he seemed to be under a tree.

He sat up slowly, groaning. He turned to the person on his side.

"Alfred...?"

No...Arthur tried to focus, and he realized that the person to his right was a stranger. He sort of resembled the human Alfred, although his hair was longer, lighter, and more wavy. He had a long curl, similar to Alfred's cowlick, but his eyes were softer, kinder, less boisterous than Alfred's were. They were a beautiful violet hue, and while the stranger had unusually pale skin, it seemed natural.

"Oh, you're awake..." His voice was soft, reassuring, like running through clouds. "You must be...Arthur, right?"

"Oh...I apologize. I mistook you for someone else. And yes...how do you know my name?" Arthur inquired, peering at the man.

"Oh..." The man chuckled. "I've known you from...before."

Arthur's eyes narrowed. Before as in...his previous life?

"Who are you?"

"..." The man paused. "My name is Matthew. But you can call me whatever you want." He smiled, and Arthur suddenly felt his heart calm down, and he unconsciously let out a sigh.

For some reason, it was impossible to be worried or stressed around Matthew. He seemed to have some sort of calming aura about him.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't..." Arthur frowned. "Where am I?"

"Oh, you...silly me," Matthew chided himself. "You cast that spell, remember?"

Arthur's eyes widened. "Oh, no..." How could he have been so _stupid_? Even if Alfred wasn't a full demon, he was still at least part demon...of_ course_ the spell would have affected him too.

He cursed under his breath, berating himself for his stupidity, and then he looked up at Matthew and stuttered an apology.

Still, how could he have overlooked such a simple fact? It was almost as if he believed Alfred to be human in his mind.

Matthew smiled kindly. "Don't worry about it. I wanted to talk to you, though. That's why I brought you here."

Matthew straightened up, adjusting his coat before he said, "You know, Arthur, people make a lot of...decisions, in their lives."

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, that sounds silly when I tell you that...but people make a lot of bad decisions. Good and bad. The problem is that people don't see clearly." Matthew's eyes trailed around the park, until his eyes stopped, fixed at a certain point to Arthur's right. "If you're angry, and you see a trash can...you might feel like the best thing to do is kick it. But if you're in a good mood and see a trash can...you would probably think that the best thing to do is leave it alone. Why would you hit an inanimate object?"

Arthur followed his gaze to the nearby trash bin and smiled slightly. "I suppose so."

Matthew smiled, continuing. "So...so really, I wonder if people can be defined by their decisions. Their actions. Does it matter how a person feels, how a person thinks, or what a person _does_, that matters in the end? How should people be judged?"

Matthew paused, gazing at Arthur.

"I don't think that there's a correct answer," Matthew continued, his voice calm. Sincere. "Because people are so complex, so _wonderful_ if given the chance..."

Arthur tilted his head, curiously listening.

"But they can be horrible. Nasty. Vicious. In this world...in this universe...in any world, anybody can do anything." Matthew's eyes fell suddenly. "And the kindest people can become the worst victims. The victors can become the losers in seconds. The nastiest individual can become magnanimous..."

_Alfred. _All Arthur could think about was Alfred.

"If given the chance," Matthew finished, a small smile on his face. "So I wonder...why people feel that everything is so _definite_. Why they judge harshly, why they hate, why they take things for granted, when really..." Matthew reached down for the dirt, grabbing a fistful as gently as possible before letting it run through his fingers. "Time goes by so fast, the days go by so quickly, lives overlap and become one motion towards the end of days..."

He met Arthur's eyes then, and Arthur couldn't break his gaze away. "You understand, don't you?" He leaned forward slowly, resting his palm gently on Arthur's chest, above his heart.

His violet eyes grew sorrowful then, and Arthur frowned slightly. "So much pain," he whispered. "It's all repressed. _That's _why you won't remember. Why you can't remember. It wasn't you who was punished this time...but I suppose, in a way, you were." Matthew shook his head sadly.

He stood up, taking Arthur's hand and helping him up as well. "This was not meant to happen." For the first time, Matthew frowned, and Arthur's eyes widened at how...how _wrong_ that expression looked on his face. "None of this...was meant to happen. But I will do what I can for you, Arthur. Because you are strong. You are not alone." His eyes were bright as he smiled. "You understand, right?"

"What...?"

And suddenly, he was gone, leaving only a white feather in Arthur's palm.


	12. Dream

_Matthew is so sweet...I really love writing about him! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter!_

* * *

"Alfred...Alfred!"

It hadn't taken Arthur long to recognize exactly where he was, even after weeks of living in the woods. Thankfully, he was able to make it back to his home quickly.

The door was broken in, as he had expected, and he found scorch marks all over the battered living room. His heart sunk at the sight, seeing everything he used to know covered with soot and ash.

And it was empty, save for a figure slouched against a wall in the corner.

"Alfred!" Arthur exclaimed again, rushing over to the fallen person.

Alfred stirred suddenly, blinking up at Arthur with red eyes. He was covered in dust and his face was dirty, but Arthur didn't see any blood on or around him.

"Ugh...Arthur, what the _fuck _did you do..." he groaned as he struggled to sit up, his hands running over the ground beneath him.

"Saved your _arse_, that's what I did," Arthur sighed in relief, helping him sit up. Alfred groaned again.

"What the..." Alfred squinted at Arthur. "Arthur...that's you, right?"

"Y-Yes...?"

"Huh. Okay." Alfred shook his head, squinting again. "Uh...okay. Yeah."

"Is something wrong?"

"Uh...no."

"Alfred..."

"No big deal," Alfred said, leaning back onto the wall. "Just...can't see as well."

"What?"

"Uh...everything's kind of blurry. Can't really see edges that well."

Arthur's heart thundered in his throat. But that would mean...

_Two sides of the same coin..._

In a split second, Arthur made up his mind.

What he couldn't do for the human Alfred, he would definitely do for his other half.

"Come on, up you go," Arthur said reassuringly as he helped Alfred stand up.

"...don't need your help," Alfred muttered, but leaned on Arthur gratefully regardless.

"Okay," Arthur said, ignoring the comment as he put Alfred's arm around his shoulders, supporting him. He looked towards the door that led to his room, and found that it had been blasted off completely.

So the stone was gone. But Alfred was still alive, despite being a demon...either his human blood saved him, or the stone had actually worked.

Which it was, Arthur would never know. But he couldn't deny the sweet relief that was seeping through his veins.

Alfred had survived. He was all right.

And there was nothing more that Arthur wanted.

* * *

"Arthur, I'm not wearing these. I did your dumb test or whatever because you asked, but I am _not_ wearing these."

"You look great, Alfred. I'm not sure as to why you believe they're tacky."

But Alfred heard the snicker in Arthur's voice, and frowned into the mirror again.

"My skin is pale. My hair is black. Why the _hell_ did you think I'd look good in _red_? It's taking all the attention away from anything else! And these are the nerdiest rectangular frames I've ever seen!" Alfred sulked.

"Come on, love. For me?" Arthur pretended to plead, a sly smile on his face.

Alfred turned to him, and Arthur could sense an idea beginning to form in his mind. "So..." Alfred said, taking slow steps towards him. "Would you kiss me with these on?"

Arthur blinked, surprised, as a slight blush spread across his cheeks. "Pardon?"

"Come on, _love_," Alfred mimicked Arthur's accent as he strode over lazily. "Do it for me?"

Arthur hesitated, his cheeks red as his eyes darted away. It was becoming a habit, not being able to meet Alfred's gaze.

"May I take that as a yes?" Alfred continued slyly, pretending to be genteel as he leaned forward, closer, as their shadows became one...

"Arthur, is that you?"

Arthur jolted backwards immediately, hitting the back of his head on the wall.

"_Bloody_ -" Arthur bit back a curse as he rubbed the back of his head, groaning. Opening his eyes slowly, he found Alfred staring at the source of the voice.

Alice.

"O-Oh, Alice!" Arthur exclaimed, a hand on his head as he slowly walked towards her. Alfred went to his side instantly, only an inch away from him as he studied Alice with a cool expression.

"Oh, it is you. I thought -"

"ALICE!"

A girl rushed into the glasses store, her voice loud, and, to Arthur's ears, slightly obnoxious. She quickly barreled into Alice, causing them both to fall to the floor.

"Oh, you - get off of me this instant, you lump!"

"Aww, Ali, you should stop trying to hide from me! You know you, like, totally suck at hide and seek!"

"We were never playing a bloody game to _begin_ with, you nitwit -"

"Oh, is_ this_ that guy you told me about?"

The stranger helped Alice up, although Alice grudgingly accepted her help, and she surveyed Arthur and Alfred with excited eyes. She seemed to be practically jumping up and down with energy. She was noticeably taller than Alice, although she wasn't quite as tall as Arthur.

"Hot _damn_," she whispered to Alice, her eyes focused on Alfred, "You found yourself a _good one_."

Alfred stared at her, his eyes slightly wide. Arthur chuckled to himself; her energy probably had him taken aback as well.

Alice sighed. "You know I didn't mean it like that."

"Mmhmm," the stranger agreed, a smirk on her face as she turned to look at Arthur.

She whistled, biting her lip as her eyes lit up. "Oh my _god,_ but he's _definitely_..."

If she seemed energetic before, now she was completely off the walls with excitement, staring at Arthur shamelessly.

"Amelia, please stop staring." Alice turned to Arthur, an apologetic look on her usually calm face. "I'm really sorry...this is actually the girl I was telling you about before..."

"Oh, you were _talking_ about me? Do tell, do tell!" Amelia exclaimed, slinging an arm casually around Alice's shoulders.

Arthur thought he caught a hint of a blush on Alice's face, but he didn't know for sure. And Alice certainly wasn't wrong. Amelia looked like a _lot _to handle, possibly even more than Alfred.

Alfred, meanwhile, hadn't said a word, simply studying the two with an unreadable expression on his face. Either way, he seemed to hold no more malice towards Alice, which was good news for Arthur.

Alice sighed, seemingly resigned. "I just met him the other day in the pharmacy. He was purchasing fever medication, as a lot of our customers have recently, and we had a simple chat, that's all."

"Uh-huh. And? What about that hunk over there?" Amelia wagged her eyebrows, and Arthur felt himself blush from second-hand embarrassment. Alice, however, seemed unperturbed as she continued to speak.

"He..." Alice's expression darkened for a moment. "He broke a bottle of the RR02 oil. A shame, really. In a similar manner to _you_."

"Ohhh," Amelia nodded, with a knowing expression on her face. Suddenly, she whirled on Alfred with a glare. "Hey. I dunno what you're tryin' to do acting all cool and silent and whatnot but she's _mine_, so don't touch her."

Alfred snorted. "As if. I already have a pet."

Amelia frowned suddenly. "A _pet_? What does that have to do with having a..."

"_Amelia_."

"Ohhhh...hey, that's super disrespectful! _Such _a turn-off."

Alice and Arthur exchanged looks, and they both smiled.

Sometimes, it was nice having someone who just _understood._

* * *

"Okay, listen, Mr. Hunk, I think you and I need to have a discussion," Amelia said after a while of arguing with an irritated Alfred. But her eyes were vibrant and vivacious as always, and sometimes Arthur found it hard to look away. Although she certainly was a handful, she had a certain twinkle in her eyes and bounce in her step that Arthur couldn't help but feel was charming. She was also undeniably pretty.

"You and me. Man to man. I mean, uh...man to...woman."

"Amelia, _please_ leave him alone..."

"Nah, I'll protect you, Alice! Don't worry!" Amelia chirped as if she hadn't heard Alice at all.

"I don't need _protecting_," Alice muttered as she averted her gaze.

Alfred had an amused smirk on his face, and Arthur knew that, as much as they disagreed, he didn't dislike the girl. While they had been talking loudly, Arthur and Alice had been chatting while Arthur bought Alfred the glasses.

"Okaaay, that's a yes? Hey, Alice, did I leave my bat in the shop?"

"You always leave it there, Amelia."

"Okay, great! So, hot blond over there," Amelia said, turning to Arthur. "You get him ready in five minutes, yeah?"

Arthur was taken aback. "Ready for _what_?"

"Time to play ball," Amelia said, winking.

Oh...perhaps she wanted to have a batting competition?

"In any case, put these on," Arthur said quickly as Amelia and Alice left the shop.

"I told you, I'm not wearing those..."

"Alfred. Do you really want to lose to her?" Arthur taunted. "If you can't see it, you can't hit it."

"Tch." Alfred grabbed the glasses from in. Suddenly, he gave the glasses back to Arthur, bending down so that their faces were inches apart.

"Put them on me."

"W-What? Put them on yourself, you oaf."

"For good luck?" Alfred said, winking, and Arthur glared at him.

"Honestly..."

Arthur slowly slid the glasses onto Alfred's face, their eyes locked.

"They're working, yes?" he asked quickly.

"Yeah," Alfred responded, tilting his head. "You get along with Alice, huh."

"And you with Amelia," Arthur countered, thinking. It was uncanny, how similar they were to the two girls...

* * *

Alfred and Arthur made their way over to the park, where Amelia was warming up with a few swings.

"Alice, how do I look?"

"Great," Alice said flatly, not looking up from the book she was reading.

"Awww, if you say so," Amelia said bashfully, a pleased grin on her face as she swung again.

"Okay, tiger," Amelia said after a while, sensing Alfred was growing impatient. "We each get three swings. Whoever knocks the ball the farthest wins."

Alfred suddenly grinned as if he found something funny. "So, a tiger and a lion," he mused, turning to Arthur with a glint in his eyes.

Arthur groaned. "We're not discussing that, Alfred. Go on, then. Play the game."

"Arthur!"

Arthur turned around towards the source of the voice, and saw Matthew running towards them, an abnormal, panicked expression on his face.

"Arthur, get away from...wait." Matthew finally reached them, panting as his eyes were wide with confusion. "Wait..."

The four stared at him with equally confused expressions.

"You aren't..." Matthew looked at Alfred, and then at Amelia with a sudden frown on his face. "But if you're _both_...why are there two of you?"

Alfred and Amelia frowned in unison. "What?"

Matthew suddenly looked from Alice to Arthur, and he slowly seemed to realize something.

He looked down as his hands slowly curled into painfully tight fists.

"Oh, Arthur..." He took a step towards Arthur, then stopped, looking as if he were about to cry.

Arthur walked towards him, frowning. "Matthew, are you all right?"

"Oh, Arthur..." Matthew repeated again, sounding defeated.

"Hey, you two related?" Amelia broke in suddenly, gesturing to Alfred and Matthew.

Matthew smiled slightly. "I get that a lot...I mean...I used to get that a lot..." He shook his head suddenly. "Sorry. Ignore that." He looked at Alfred, sorrow in his eyes.

He looked at Arthur again, calming down. "Okay. Okay, I see," he thought aloud, nodding his head. "This is more complicated than I thought...but it makes sense, now that I think about it."

"Care to explain?" Alice asked, speaking up as she watched Matthew with narrowed eyes.

Matthew looked conflicted before shaking his head. "C-Can you and Alfred come with me for a second?" he asked Arthur quietly. Maintaining as much distance between himself and Alfred as possible, he led them away from the park towards a small cafe on the edge of town.

* * *

Sitting at a table, Matthew faced them, although he sat as far away from Alfred as possible.

"Arthur, I..." Matthew looked up at him. "You know already, right?" he asked, broaching the subject again.

Arthur nodded slightly. "The...gist, as it were. I told Alfred already, and he is aware."

Matthew nodded. "It all happened in your past lives. And Alfred, as you know, became..._that_."

"Thanks."

"No problem, brother," Matthew laughed, then suddenly shut his mouth. "Sorry. Being weird again."

Alfred raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Alfred...while you're like this, do you remember anything?"

Alfred sighed, shaking his head. "If Arthur hadn't told me, I wouldn't know shit."

Matthew frowned again, then turned to Arthur. "Arthur. Since this may be...the last time I am able to see you...I need you to listen to me."

Arthur nodded, frowning. "What do you mean by the last time?"

"I..." Matthew smiled slightly. "I'm not supposed to be here. I was never meant to meet you. But I had to, Arthur, and I hope that one day you'll understand why."

Arthur's eyes widened. "Never meant to...?"

"I hope that I'll be forgiven," Matthew chuckled sadly as he shook his head. "But I don't regret anything. Rules were already broken. That's what I mean." His gaze grew more intense as he looked at Arthur. "You two weren't meant to be here. In this time, in this place..."

Arthur's heart thundered in his chest. "What...what do you..."

"In this world, in this time, and in this place, you weren't supposed to be born. Alfred wasn't supposed to be here either, but...I believe two other demons forcibly brought him here. Perhaps that resounded with you, with your soul..."

"M-Matthew, what are you..." Arthur fell silent again, not knowing what to say.

"Either way, Arthur," Matthew continued, his voice slightly lower, "Perhaps that is why this has been challenging for you. This world cannot handle more than one of any soul. For a soul to manifest _twice_ in a given time and place...and to be so near to each other as well..."

"Is that why the girl smells like Arthur?" Alfred cut in, his eyes dark as he looked at Matthew.

Matthew jumped a bit at his interruption, but quickly smiled. "Yes. They are different, but they are the same."

Arthur frowned. Girl...? Which girl?

He couldn't be talking about Alice or Amelia. Could he?

"Anyway," Matthew continued, clearing his throat. Arthur noticed that his voice was getting softer and weaker, and he was beginning to see signs of strain appear on Matthew's pale face. "I-I came to warn you two...you don't have a lot of time left. Unless you resolve the problem..." Matthew looked pained. "It won't just be you..." He began to cough, and Arthur leaned over, putting a hand on his back.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, it's just..." Matthew coughed again. "I-I'm not used to being so close..."

Arthur shrank back.

"No, not you," Matthew said hurriedly, sitting up again as he continued. "You're here for a reason - a reason that defies the very laws of this world. But if you fail, you won't be the only ones who get hurt..."

Matthew toppled over suddenly, and Alfred jumped out of his seat, reaching over to him slowly.

Matthew's eyes shot open, as if burned, as he quickly evaded Alfred's touch, his eyes wide. Beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead.

"No!" he cried, then clamped his mouth shut. "I'm sorry..."

"I thought so," Alfred said after a while, narrowing his eyes. "You're an angel. Though you've done a hell of a job hiding it. You even fooled me for a second."

Matthew froze, and Arthur turned to him in shock.

Then, those feathers...

The dreams...

_Matthew._

Matthew's mouth quivered as he looked at the ground.

"Then I believe my time is up," he said, his voice calm as he looked at Alfred and Arthur with a smile. "But I believe in you two. If anything at all...if anything is real..." Matthew smiled sadly at them. "I'm sure you two can figure it out. I'm sure you can do it. And Arthur...your dreams? Those were real. Glimpses of other universes, of other worlds...that's why I _know_ you'll be okay."

And in the blink of an eye, he was gone, leaving a small white feather on the table.

* * *

Arthur and Alfred stood in silence.

"You've met him before?" Alfred asked, his voice even.

"Yes," Arthur said. "Once, after...after I cast the spell in my house."

Alfred nodded.

An awkward silence weighed down on them again.

Arthur frowned, thinking.

He had mentioned his dreams, saying that they were real...

They were distant now, and Arthur hardly remembered them, but he _did_ remember Alfred being in them...

A different Alfred, with strange clothes...

Suddenly, Alfred started humming, jarring Arthur from his thoughts.

Was it Alfred? Or was it another dream?

_That song._

From the first note, an intense pain spread throughout Arthur's body, and he felt as if he were being burned. Crying out, he fell to the ground, groaning in pain, as the world faded to black.

* * *

_It was hot. Too hot. Fire. Was he on fire? No, now he was cold. Ice cold, and he was drowning in it, and he couldn't feel anything anymore..._

_No. Hot. Too much, too much sensation..._

_His skin felt mutilated. Cut open. Abused. _

_He could feel the blood, feel the bruises. Open, gory wounds. A neverending ache. He wanted it to be over._

_But it wouldn't be over. That man wouldn't let him get away that easily._

_He hated that he loved him. He hated that he believed in a better future. _

_So much hate._

_He couldn't stand it._

_Was it...was it his fault? Hadn't he...wasn't it just a misunderstanding?_

Do not go further.

_No...?_

Do not go further.

_Please..._

Do not go further.

_Why not?_

You must not. You will break.

_Break me, then. _

Why?

_Alfred...I need...Alfred..._

He did this to you. Reject him. Kill him.

_No, how could I..._

What do you owe him?

_I owe him nothing. _

Then why do you want to save him? Just let time end him.

_No._

_He would not._

_He could not._

_That man was..._

* * *

"Arthur!"

Arthur opened his eyes instantly, sensing that he was leaning against a wall. Alfred, his eyes blue and watery, had his hands on his shoulders, shaking him.

"Arthur, oh my God..."

Alfred's glasses lay forgotten on the floor as he ran his hands over Arthur's forehead. "I thought you were sick or something, but you were crying...were you having a nightmare?"

Arthur hadn't noticed the tears on his face, and quickly wiped them away. Alfred was frowning.

Why was Alfred frowning?

Alfred leaned forward suddenly, as if to hug Arthur, and Arthur quickly recoiled, shoving him away instinctively as a shock of panic ran through him. Panic, and...pain. As if his body was rejecting Alfred.

Alfred stared at him, his eyes filled with hurt, as Arthur blinked, confused.

Why did he do that?

"I-I'm sorry, Alfred...I don't..." He shook his head. "Just had a bad dream..."

Alfred's eyes widened. "D-Do...was that a dream of...do you..." He dropped his gaze. "No. This was going to happen."

He inched closer to Arthur, but he maintained careful a distance between them. His eyes were hard, his jaw set, an expression Arthur usually saw on the demon Alfred's face.

"Arthur. I...I can't go on like this. It's as if I'm holding back something from you, but it's cowardly, hiding this..." A sad smile appeared on his face. "But it's been long enough. I don't want you to commit to me when you don't even know...what I did. What I'm capable of doing." His eyes grew darker. "So please, Arthur. Hear me out. And..." Alfred looked as if he were about to cry.

"If you choose to leave me after this, if you never want to see me again...I completely understand. So please, Arthur. Let me tell you what happened."

* * *

_So Alfred will finally reveal everything next chapter...Just as a warning, from the next chapter onwards the story gets **dark**, so read at your own discretion!_


	13. Revelation - II

_Sorry for that cliffhanger! Finally, their past is revealed...the nasty part, at least. _

_Just as a warning: Alfred's story is a bit skewed, as most memories often are. _

_Reviews are appreciated!_

* * *

"Arthur...the world we used to live in was...kind of...different. I told you this before, but we lived a century ago. Back then, you were an artisan's son from Alar, and I was a Jonek native."

Arthur nodded, deciding he'd save all his questions for the end. He held Alfred's hand gently, squeezing it occasionally for reassurance. They were both sitting opposite each other, inches away, crossing their legs. Arthur's back was against the wall.

"Anyway," Alfred went on, "We...when I first got to know you, it wasn't pretty," he said, wincing as he laughed at the memory. "We were roommates, actually. Even though we were nothing like each other and didn't really have the same interests, we wound up doing an apprenticeship together in Jonek, and they didn't...have a lot of space. I mean, normally, apprentices would get their own rooms, but our teacher wasn't doing so well financially, and...uh, yeah...one thing led to another." He paused. "We lived in the countryside of Jonek. Sometimes it got stuffy in the main city, but the countryside..."

Alfred let out a sigh.

"You always used to open the window to let in the fresh air. Said it calmed your nerves." Alfred laughed slightly as his eyes grew unfocused. "And I remember on the first night I...well, it was really dark and I forgot to bring up a lantern, and I...I accidentally got into your bed instead of mine. And you gave me a good thrashing and tossed me out. I think I have a scar from that, actually," Alfred smiled sheepishly. "It was a mistake, honestly!"

Arthur raised an eyebrow, a small, proud smirk on his face.

"But I guess we began to get along eventually - I mean, we didn't really have a choice since we had to work together sometimes - and you told me all about yourself, which was not a lot because you don't really talk about yourself, and I told you everything about me, and we were really different...but I dunno, we just kinda clicked, you know? We did fight a lot, and sometimes it even got physical, but..." He looked at Arthur with a peculiar expression on his face. "As much as I wanted to yell at you sometimes, I just felt really _drawn_ to you, you know? I didn't even understand it myself." He paused.

"Like...at first I thought it must be because I hated you and we didn't get along - maybe I disliked you so much that _that_ was why I couldn't stop thinking about you - but I guess, sooner or later I realized that wasn't it. I felt like we...I don't know how to explain it," he finished unsurely, waving his hand in the air.

But Arthur understood, and he nodded, trying to hide a smile.

"And you just..." Alfred smiled, his eyes growing brighter, "You just _got_ me, you know? Like, you'd pretend you were pissed off, but you just understood me so well and you always did stuff out of your way just to make me happier, and I did the same to you, and, uh...I dunno, one thing led to another..." Alfred blushed slightly, and his hand froze; Arthur sensed where his story was going.

"Yeah...and...I kinda asked you out," he said, a slight smile on his face. "And at first I think you didn't really believe me, and you actually got kind of angry, because I think you thought I was straight or something, but I eventually got you to agree. And I'm bi, by the way. Just a reminder," he said, winking. Arthur looked away, and Alfred squeezed his hand.

"It was hard, though. Really hard. Because the law forbade it. And we had actually seen a couple of public executions for that sort of stuff, so...I mean, you were scared. Rightly. But I convinced you, and I promised to protect you."

"I don't need protecting-"

"And after our apprenticeship was over, and we realized we...wanted to stay together, forever, we moved back to Alar for a while, to get our own place," Alfred continued, cutting off Arthur with a small grin, "Set up shop, you know?"

Arthur suddenly realized that he wasn't recalling any memories as Alfred was speaking.

He wondered why.

"And we were both really interested in music, and..." Alfred shifted a bit. "We thought it would be fun to write a song together. Not to be professional singers or entertainers or anything, but just...just for us. So we each wrote lyrics, and...I don't know, I just wrote about our love but then you got really embarrassed; I think you wrote about unicorns or something."

Arthur scolded his past self internally, flushing slightly.

"Yeah, you might have been drunk, actually," Alfred admitted with a grin. "Anyway, I think we eventually agreed on my lyrics, but then you edited them and made the language a lot more...I dunno. Poetic? Fancy? Pretty? See, the thing is, Arthur, I mentioned this before, but...we weren't really...it wasn't allowed. Two guys together, two girls together...people didn't like that sort of thing back then, right?"

Arthur froze, sensing the tension in Alfred's hand.

Although times hadn't really changed. It was _still_ punishable by death for being homosexual.

"So...so we had to keep it under wraps, you know? It was really hard, not being able to hold hands when we went out on dates and stuff like that."

And it was hard not being able to remember every moment he had shared with Alfred.

But Arthur held his tongue, allowing Alfred to continue.

"And..." Alfred paused. "You used to have a thing for this other guy. Francis."

Arthur's heart thudded in his chest.

"And Francis still hadn't gotten over you. I think you might have went out before you came to Jonek or something, I don't know and I don't really wanna think about it, but he was still after you. And...and, one day, I saw him go into your house in Alar. Oh - when we set up shop, you still stayed in your house, but I stayed in my own for a bit to avoid suspicion. By that time, we hadn't gotten our own place. Anyway, you let him in."

"And of course, I trusted you. So I just ignored it. After all, it must have been nice seeing an old face, right? But he kept coming over...and then I thought something must be up. So I asked you about it, and you just dismissed it immediately. Actually, you were being really...defensive. So I kind of got pissed off and stopped talking to you."

"But you still didn't respond. You're pretty stubborn, Arthur. So I finally gave in, since _you_ didn't seem to want to, and I confronted you about it. But you just kept denying that you saw him, which was weird to me - after all, I would have accepted an apology or explanation. But you just _refused_ to admit that he was there in the first place. So I went to Francis directly and asked him why he was fooling around with my boyfriend - and he just _laughed_ at me." Alfred's eyes darkened. "So I got pretty pissed off, naturally. And we got into our first big fight."

Alfred paused. Arthur squeezed his hand again, and Alfred shot him a grateful glance.

"We didn't talk for weeks. I said some hurtful things before I left - and...and I insulted you. Your...preference, as you like to call it. I told you that there was something wrong, when you would _only_ date guys. Then I went back to Jonek. I was so..." Alfred looked pained. "I was so dumb, so _immature_...I was so insecure that I took it out on _you_."

"But then you sent me a letter, and you apologized. You said everything was a big misunderstanding, and you asked me to come back to Alar and you said that you would explain everything there. So, of course, as your hero, I packed up my bags and ran back over there," Alfred said with a smile. "I was so relieved, too. I wasn't sure what I'd do if I pushed you away forever. Because by then I realized that I was head over heels in love with you, and it was the kind of love that doesn't fade."

Arthur felt his face grow warm.

"And then..."

Another squeeze.

Alfred's breath hitched as he frowned. "I...We did meet again. You were...you were throwing a party in your house. But you moved by then, to a more rural town, so it took me a while to get there. I had to ask around, because I went to your old place at first and was surprised that you weren't there. And by the time I got there...you were drunk. Having a party. Francis was there, so were some others. And I think someone insulted your interest in fantasy," Alfred paused, looking at Arthur. "That hasn't changed, I guess. Anyway, someone said to you that unicorns and fairies and demons and pixies weren't real. So...I think you tried summoning something."

A pause. Another deep breath.

"I don't remember what happened right after that. I just remember..." Alfred shook his head. "Just...so much...I was so _jealous,_ Arthur, you can't even imagine...I felt horrible. Wretched. Sick, but no matter how many times my stomach churned it wouldn't go away, and...and I just remember I didn't really feel like _myself**, **_you know? And after that..." Alfred squinted. "I think there was something there, actually. Wait..."

A pause.

"Yeah, I think...I dunno, this might have been a dream. It felt like one. But...there was this guy, and he had freakish silver hair and red eyes, and...he asked me if I wanted to make you mine. And I told him that we were already technically going out, and you were the one who was cheating on me, and I told him I just wanted to make the sick feeling go away...and he told me that he would help me. He was laughing about it, actually. He had some crazy laugh. Anyway, in hindsight, he thought the whole thing was probably pretty funny. So...so he told me that I would probably feel different, but that it was just confidence or something."

"So I was like, why not? I don't really remember a lot of what happened after that. Just flashes, glimpses of memory. I just remember...I remember yelling at you, that's for certain. We got into fight after fight for at least a week after that. I think you...now that I think about it, you might have been trying to explain the whole Francis thing, but I...I don't know why. I just ignored you."

Alfred suddenly began to change as he talked, gold fading to black, blue turning red. "I wanted more from you, Arthur." His voice was lower now. "I wanted _all_ of you. I hated it when I saw you with anyone. I was_ drawn_ to you, and I didn't want to let you go. By now, Francis was out of the picture. But you began to avoid me. The more you avoided me, the more I followed you..."

"But then, I saw, one day, you weren't home. So I called up a friend, who directed me to Francis' house. And you were there, drinking, with _him_."

"And I was so sick of it, so sick of _you_, that I called the officials. I told them you were gay. I asked them if I could interrogate you. I told them to take Francis away from you. I told them I could prove it. But the rural officials in that town weren't so good, you know? Really lazy."

Arthur's hand faltered, but Alfred held it tightly.

"So they locked you up, because they had to. But they never set up a formal execution date. And I broke in to the prison, I talked to you, and you were angry, you were scared even though you tried to hide it. But it was too late for that."

A pause.

"You wouldn't tell me _why_. And whatever you told me, I don't remember. I just remember feeling like it wasn't _enough_. Everything was black, and I took it out on you, the only one who'd listen. And before I knew it, my hands were covered with your blood, and you just kept _crying_ but you refused to say anything to me. You didn't fault me. You didn't hate me. But I hated you so, _so_ much right then. I loved you, and I hated you, and I hated that no matter what I did you would never hate me. So I...I ended up..."

Alfred's hand was cold. Arthur wanted to let go. Everything screamed for him to let go.

But he didn't. He wouldn't, until Alfred finished.

"...and then I realized what I did. I still remember that man, walking into the cell despite having no key, his maroon eyes that had laughed at me once were actually serious. He told me something then, I don't remember. But he seemed sad. And then I realized that you were gone. The only love of my life, gone."

Alfred's eyes fell, wide with misery.

"And then I asked myself how it happened. What had happened. But I couldn't remember. I didn't understand how I had turned into _that_."

Alfred met Arthur's eyes, and Arthur felt numb.

"And then, I...I killed myself."

* * *

Silence.

Arthur was shocked to the core. He didn't understand it. How that had happened. How Alfred had done that.

Alfred would never do that.

_But he had._

Alfred watched him, and suddenly Arthur felt sick, sick of the red, sick of everything...

But their hands were still together, and everything told Arthur to pull away, shout at Alfred, reject him once and for all...

But one thing nagged at the back of his mind.

Silver hair. Maroon eyes.

His stomach churning, Arthur slowly drew his hand away from Alfred's. Alfred let it go freely, sorrow darkening his eyes as he stared at the floor.

"Gilbert. You met Gilbert."

Alfred looked up, blinking. Then, his eyes widened.

"Yeah...that was...Gilbert." He shifted a bit. "A-Arthur, are you...are you okay?"

Arthur stood up suddenly. "Alfred..." He felt ill. His body and soul felt tired, torn, weary. He couldn't handle it.

Alfred stood up, looking at him with concern. Hope. Mostly, regret.

"I need to be alone."

And with that, Arthur ran.

And Alfred didn't call after him.

* * *

Three days.

Three days without Alfred seemed like an eternity.

Wearily dragging himself out of bed, he staggered over to the kitchen, struggling to drink a glass of water.

He had thrown up several times in the last couple of days, and he had been unable to eat anything since hearing about the past. His headaches became migraines, and his body ached.

He had heard small snippets of that song every so often, but slowly they grew so faint Arthur could barely make out the words. And he was glad, because at the moment, he never wanted to hear that bloody song again.

He stumbled back into bed again, groaning in pain.

Arthur wasn't able to think straight, either, so any hopes he had of trying to digest the information were dashed immediately.

Forgiveness was too light a term. How could Alfred expect Arthur to _forgive_ him for that? Forgive wasn't the right word.

Accept? ...Arthur couldn't accept it either.

He turned over, his eyes dim as he stared out the window of his bedroom. It was evening, and he could see the colors of the sky grow warmer as he felt colder and colder.

Perhaps he should just try forgetting about it.

...But it was too late for that.

Alfred had killed him. Alfred had actually_ killed_ him. Even if the darkness in him was brought out by a demon...Arthur knew too well that demons couldn't 'create' darkness in people.

They could only draw it out. Enhance it. Meaning that Alfred, in the worst of circumstances, was...was capable of...

Arthur groaned, shutting his eyes.

Alfred had killed him. His love was demented by jealousy into hate, and he had killed him.

Arthur shivered, frowning as tears began to trickle down his cheeks again. He wished he could stop. Stop thinking, stop feeling. He wished he wasn't so _weak_.

He curled up on the bed, opening his eyes again.

He knew Alfred regretted it. He knew he was beyond sorry, and he knew that Alfred would do anything to earn Arthur's forgiveness. But was regret _enough_?

The act of murder and subsequent suicide had been what pushed Alfred into madness, into hell, into becoming a demon.

Alfred had become a demon.

Arthur curled up even tighter. Because, somewhere amidst the sorrow and pain, was a deep sadness for Alfred - the sweet Alfred who had been driven mad. He didn't know why, nor how it was possible to still feel that.

_Because you love him, right?_

Arthur couldn't deny it. Because, past everything, he knew that Alfred was never a full demon. It was a punishment. A punishment for Alfred, to suffer and be ripped away from the world in which he belonged.

Be ripped away from Arthur.

But, despite everything...Arthur _still_ loved him.

It was a pained love, now. It made Arthur weak. It made him want to curl up and forget the world. But it was love, nonetheless, because despite everything, he still wanted to save Alfred.

He still wanted to save his killer, and he hated himself for it.

* * *

Another day passed with Arthur more or less unconscious. He felt weak, his hair was a mess, and he hadn't looked at himself in days.

But he slowly dragged himself to the makeshift door when he heard a knock.

He slowly opened it, regretting that he hadn't punched out a small peephole - but then again, he hadn't really been in a state to do anything lately. He stared at the stranger as he opened the door fully.

He was a tall, big man, with a large nose and a friendly smile that Arthur couldn't help feel was slightly sinister. He had grey hair and violet eyes, although his eyes were very different from Matthew's.

"Oh, hello there," the man greeted, his lips tilted upwards. "You must be Arthur, yes?" His voice was higher than Arthur expected.

"...yes..." Arthur responded, surprised at the weak, wispy sound of his own voice. It sounded strained, probably from all the crying.

"And...you are Alfred's Arthur, yes?"

His heartbeat sped up. He knew Alfred? He couldn't be...

Was this man a demon too?

But still..._Alfred's _Arthur? He wasn't something to be _owned_. He glared at the man, snapping, "I am no one's but my own. And yes, I am Arthur, and I know Alfred."

The man's eyes flashed, and Arthur stepped back a bit.

"Oh, I see..." the man continued in his cheery voice. "Is that so? So, where is he?"

"Alfred?"

"Yes."

"..." Arthur sighed. "I don't know where that oaf ran off to." He pretended to act nonchalant. "I haven't seen him in days."

"Oh, but you know where he is, yes?"

"I _just said_ I didn't know where he was."

The man's eyes narrowed. "But you are Arthur, yes?"

Arthur sighed. "What do you want? And who are you?"

"..." The man smiled again. "You may call me Ivan. I am, how do you say...Chief."

_Chief?_

Arthur's blood ran cold. Roderich was the Duke. He had come back with his Lieutenant. Meaning, Ivan was part of that too. Chief? Was that higher or lower than the Duke?

"I know what you are thinking," Ivan continued in his light voice. "You are thinking, who is this man, and what does Chief mean. You are lucky winner, because I will tell you. Chief of guard. Chief of defense. Chief of capture." His smile grew more menacing. "Duke did bad job. His heart would have been soft, if he had one. But me, I was born with no heart." Ivan smiled again. "So I capture easily."

Suddenly, he drew out a pipe from behind him, and the pipe seemed to grow longer and longer until it swirled around Arthur, curling and clamping around him, restraining him.

"W-What the - _what the bloody hell is this_?"

"Calm down, little one. This will not hurt you. Unless he does not come for you. But he will, because he is weak."

Arthur struggled, but to no avail. The pipe was tightly wound around him, and it hurt to move.

"Shh...Shall I sing you a lullaby while you wait?"

"_No thank you_," Arthur hissed. "And I wouldn't be so sure that Alfred will come; I don't even know where he is!"

"Oh, he will come. If he does not..." Ivan smiled at Arthur pleasantly.

"Then we will just have to retrace our steps, yes? Or, in your case, we will have to repeat how you died. Then maybe he will come for you."


	14. Strength

_I'm sorry...the evil Ivan trope is so common, but I needed someone 'bigger and badder' than Roderich to get things going xD Anyway, I hope you enjoy the next chapter!_

_Thank you for all of your reviews, they really encourage me and help me keep writing! _

_Just as a clarification(or in case I wasn't clear in the first couple of chapters) - I wrote and think of demon!Alfred as SweetDevil!America, but with red eyes. He has black hair and extremely pale skin(which 2p!America doesn't), but since both sweetdevil!America and 2p!America don't really have solid canon characterizations, I don't really mind if you imagine demon!Alfred as 2p! or Sweet Devil. Whatever you had in mind from the start works! Sorry for the confusion. ^^;_

_Please don't forget to review!_

* * *

"_Excuse_ me?"

"Like I said. But we will just have to wait and see," Ivan said simply as he walked, dragging Arthur with him. The pole was tightly woven around him, and it was becoming difficult to breathe. He forced his legs to move.

"I-I don't think he knows where I am," Arthur managed, coughing a bit. "This is all futile."

"I do not think so," Ivan said cheerily, turning to smile at him. His smile was overtly sinister at this point, and Arthur couldn't stop himself from shuddering. He knew Ivan noticed, as his smile only grew wider. "I think he knows exactly where you are."

"I left him," Arthur said weakly. "I..."

"Oh." Ivan stopped suddenly, looking up at the sky and cutting Arthur off. "That did not take long. I am impressed with your bond, Arthur Kirkland."

Arthur followed Ivan's gaze. His eyes widened.

It was Alfred. His eyes were red with rage as he landed on the ground, his black wings retracting as he walked towards them.

"Let him go," Alfred growled, his hands in fists. "Fuck off, Ivan. He isn't a part of this."

Arthur noticed that Alfred was pointedly avoiding his gaze, but he instantly winced as the pipe tightened around him even further.

"But he is," Ivan said, a smile growing on his face. "You made him so, no?"

"Fuck off."

"Such bad language," Ivan tutted, frowning slightly. "Not good. It is time to come home, yes?"

"That's not my home," Alfred spat, and as Arthur watched, his eyes slowly changed from red to blue, while his hair remained jet black.

Was he becoming better? More...more _human_?

Arthur struggled to take deep breaths, but he knew his lungs barely had any space to expand.

"Let Arthur go. I..."

Ivan waited.

"I'll come with you if you let him go."

"Alfred, _no_!" Arthur exclaimed without thinking. Ivan's eyes narrowed, and the pipe around him tightened again. Arthur winced, squeezing his eyes shut.

He couldn't breathe at this point. He blinked several times, trying to stabilize himself, but his vision was becoming alarmingly blurry.

"Very good. Very simple, yes?"

Suddenly, the pipe slackened, and relief ran through Arthur as he slumped to the ground.

Ivan's pipe grew smaller, and he held it in his hand as he walked over towards Alfred, completely ignoring Arthur.

His arms and stomach ached where the pipe pressed into him, and his back felt abused. He took heaving breaths, his eyes wide with subsequent panic.

They had come too far for this. Arthur could feel it. They were so close, Alfred was so _close_, and everything that had happened up until now...it was no coincidence.

Because...because...

'_I am drawn to you like a magnet_

_Even if I left, we would find each other again...'_

And Arthur knew that he never wanted to let Alfred go again. Whatever he had done in his previous life, whatever he would continue to do...he knew that there was only one thing that was always true. Only one thing that _mattered_, beyond anything else.

It was more precious than anything in the world. In _any _world.

_Alfred_.

Before he knew what he was doing, Arthur dashed over to Ivan and Alfred. Ivan was reaching for Alfred's arm, and before Arthur could stop himself he rushed between them, as if on instinct. His back to Alfred, he faced Ivan, his arms spread as if to protect Alfred.

"Don't touch him," Arthur hissed, and Ivan's eyes widened in surprise.

"Arthur, what are you doing?" demanded Alfred quietly, his tone confused.

"Alfred, I...I realized something," Arthur began. His tone wavered, but he knew he couldn't back out. He couldn't brush it off. Not like he did last time. He had to be _strong_. Clear.

Without hesitating, he turned around suddenly, reaching for Alfred, and his heart reveled at how it felt so _right_ when he brought his face to Alfred's and kissed him.

Arthur drew back quickly, just in time for Alfred to get over his surprise, and whispered, "Alfred, you did this to yourself. You let your love, your _jealousy_, eat at you, consume you whole until you had nothing left but hatred. You made a mistake, Alfred. But you grow from it. You learn."

Alfred froze, his wide eyes locked on Arthur's.

Arthur's voice grew stronger as he continued. "Do I forgive you? No."

Alfred's eyes fell.

"So make it up to me. Don't give up on yourself. Give yourself the justice, the second chance, that you _deserve_, 'hero.'"

Alfred's eyes widened as Arthur smiled slightly at him. He noticed with satisfaction that Alfred's mouth was open slightly, as if he wanted to say something but was speechless. _Finally_, Alfred was out of words.

"Prove to me that you can and you will live, with or without me. Y-You...you scared me, Alfred. Hearing that from you...from the Alfred I know, it terrified me. It didn't make sense."

Arthur felt his face heat up. He wasn't used to being this vulnerable. This _exposed_, this open...he hated it. But he had to do it for Alfred.

"B-But then I realized that people are irrational. _Love _is irrational. And...and I love you, Alfred," Arthur continued, his voice fading to a whisper. "So please. You are strong. You are brave. I told you before, that I would never leave your side again."

Arthur knew no more words were needed as Alfred fiercely embraced him. His back and ribs protested, but it felt so warm, so _good_ that Arthur offered no resistance.

Because this was what he wanted, and he heard Alfred murmuring 'I love you' over and over again into his shoulder. His heartbeat rapidly increased, and he felt his eyes water slightly.

He suddenly felt something warm seep into his shirt, and he realized that Alfred was crying.

And Arthur wrapped his arms around Alfred, accepting him. The great, horrible mess of emotions that he was. The energetic ball of ideas, curiosity, positivity, and obnoxious laughter that he once was, and that he would be once again.

And Arthur would have it no other way.

It was only then that Arthur realized they weren't alone. And as he quickly broke the embrace, turning around, he found Matthew standing near them, preventing Ivan from disturbing them.

Ivan seemed to be suspended in motion, as if Matthew had laid some sort of spell on him that froze him.

"Matthew!" Arthur exclaimed, and Matthew turned around with a smile.

"Arthur. You survived," he said quietly, wincing. "If...I wasn't supposed to see you again."

"But you have."

"I...I can hold Ivan off for a bit longer, but..." His eyes dimmed. "If Ivan captures Alfred, you will never see him again. So..." Matthew closed his eyes. "Before that happens..." He opened them again, holding out a palm to Arthur. "Take my hand."

Arthur quickly took it.

"Take Alfred's."

Arthur grabbed Alfred's hand with his other hand, as Alfred still appeared to be a bit stunned.

"Normally I help people go to heaven," Matthew said, a grimace on his face. It looked so out of place, so wrong, that Arthur frowned. "But in this case, I am going to send you..." He let out a deep breath. "To where Ivan would least expect."

"I don't have much time," Matthew explained, noticing Arthur's gaze. "Prepare yourself. You'll have to figure out how to get back. But...but I'm sure that you two will figure it out. You always have, and you always will." He smiled. "Best of luck, Arthur."

Alfred's gaze suddenly fixed on Matthew, and his eyes widened in recognition. "Holy...Matthew! Matthew, that's _you_, isn't it? Oh my god, Matt, I...I!"

Matthew's eyes widened, but it was too late.

Because Alfred and Arthur were surrounded by light, and sent into darkness before Matthew could respond.

* * *

"Ugh...what..."

Arthur stirred as he heard Alfred groan next to him, and as he opened his eyes, he realized he couldn't see anything.

Everything was dark. He felt along the ground, feeling dirt under him, as he reached out.

"A-Alfred? Where are you?"

"Arthur! I'm...I'm here," Alfred said, gripping Arthur's arm. Arthur relaxed suddenly, until a new voice interrupted them.

"A-Al, dear, is that you? What are you doing in the underworld?"

_Elizaveta._

Arthur jumped, turning around towards the voice.

And as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see a figure leaning against the wall.

Her hair had been cut off, and Arthur could see that it was growing back badly. It was barely at her ears, giving her a sort of boyish look, but her hair was uneven and stuck out at weird angles. But those kind green eyes and horns...it was Elizaveta, no doubt.

Her horns were much more visible, but they seemed smaller than before, if that was possible.

"Alfred...Arthur..." Elizaveta struggled to move towards them, but she quickly slumped back down again. A smile spread across her bruised, dirty face. "I never thought I'd see you again."

The two rushed over to her. Her wrists were shackled to the wall, while her ankles were shackled to the floor. She looked paler than they had ever seen, and her body was terribly emaciated.

"Elizaveta...we thought..." Alfred began. Arthur was speechless.

Elizaveta shook her head. "They just captured us. Detained us for...helping you. I think Gil got out...but...he got captured again. They took him to another cell, so...I-I've been alone..."

She looked as if she were going to break down.

"And now they've captured you, too..."

"We were sent here," Alfred interrupted, fiddling with the ankle shackle.

Elizaveta's eyes widened, and Arthur smiled sympathetically.

"It's a long story. But we're here to get you out."

"No, no," Elizaveta murmured, her voice panicked. "Gil. Gil, you have to...you have to talk to Gil...he's going insane..."

Arthur and Alfred both paused.

"T-That was Gil's...first assignment, you know...h-he didn't want to...but he had to...and Al, Al was so _weak_...nothing was his fault...please...please forgive him..."

Arthur brushed Elizaveta's bangs out of her face, trying to figure out how to get the shackles off of her wrists. "We know, Liz. Alfred told me everything."

Elizaveta's eyes widened. "And you still came back?"

Arthur's eyes softened. "I do not forgive Alfred. Nor do I forgive Gilbert. But it happened, and it's over with. We get up. We keep calm, and we carry on."

Alfred's eyes widened as he stared at Arthur.

"Arthur...since when we you so strong?" Elizaveta asked gently, smiling.

The Elizaveta that cared for him, the Elizaveta that protected him. That stood up for him when nobody else would, that gave him sanity in that crazy house...

Arthur paused.

It wasn't a matter of strength or of weakness. Elizaveta's kindness and willpower inspired him. And that gave him strength.

He loved Alfred.

And_ that_ gave him strength.

"Let's get you out of here."

The three froze as they suddenly heard footsteps. Alfred had managed to remove her ankle shackle, but Arthur didn't know how to remove her wrist shackles and instantly dropped them as their paused to listen.

Suddenly, a torch was thrust against the bars of the prison cell, and in the light of the fire they saw a familiar face.

"Roderich!" cried Elizaveta, her eyes wide. Her voice cracked as she struggled to free herself, to move closer to him, but to no avail.

Roderich's eyes widened as he saw Alfred and Arthur. "What is the meaning of this?" he exclaimed, shocked.

"T-They...please, Roderich," Elizaveta begged. Roderich stumbled backward, but he quickly regained control of himself.

"Come with me," Roderich said stiffly, motioning for Alfred and Arthur to step out. Knowing they had no other choice, Alfred and Arthur reluctantly followed Roderich.

"Where are we going?"

"Silence, human."

"Don't talk to Arthur like that."

"Don't talk to _me_ like that, half-demon."

"What did you just call me?"

"Shush, Alfred."

"Arthur! Why are you on _his_ side?"

Roderich whirled around suddenly, fuming. "If you two buffoons would shut up for _two seconds_ maybe you'd have a chance at escaping!"

They both froze.

_Escaping?_

"You're...letting us go?"

"You don't belong. We didn't capture you."

"But that's..."

"...You forget, human, that demons did not originate as demons." Roderich's eyes darkened before he turned around again, refusing to explain further.

* * *

They were given a poorly lit room to rest in, and according to Roderich, it was close to his own office. The room was protected by a spell, and Roderich promised that he would send them back once his shift ended and the guards lessened. They had told him Ivan was after Alfred, and Roderich had assured them that Ivan wouldn't be able to sense them in the room either.

Arthur could see that Alfred had changed back again, from black to blond hair. His eyes were permanently blue, which gave Arthur hope that Alfred was slowly changing.

He'd never have to gaze into those blood colored eyes ever again.

"You said you didn't forgive me," Alfred began after a long period of silence.

"Yes."

"Does that mean...you don't...you don't love me anymore?"

Arthur groaned.

"Alfred, do you ever_ listen_ to what I say?"

"I do!" Alfred insisted. "But if you don't forgive me, how can you love me?"

"Why are you so _childish_!" Arthur demanded, his hands on his hips. "Honestly, Alfred, love isn't all black and white!"

"I know, but...but...I didn't want you to...have that."

"Have _what_?"

"You won't ever forget it. And now, you..."

Arthur softened. "That's true. But a rose always has thorns, right?"

"Not thorns that kill you."

Arthur laughed. "I suppose that's true."

"...I'm sorry, Arthur. And I know it's petty to ask this now, but...do you...do you remember why you spent so much time with Francis?"

Arthur paused. It was a valid question.

"Honestly, Alfred, I don't remember anything of my past self. But if anything, I suppose I was just feeling insecure."

"What? Why?" Alfred gaped at him.

"It was probably a defense mechanism," Arthur mused. "I was scared. Anxious. Perhaps I didn't even believe you loved me. So I relied on someone who I _knew_ loved me for comfort. But of course, I didn't love him, and I doubt I actually cheated on you with him. But it's nice knowing that there's someone there for you."

"...So I wasn't enough?"

"We were probably both insecure," Arthur said softly, holding Alfred's gaze. "With the strict laws back then, I was probably terrified. We didn't trust in ourselves. Our love."

Arthur walked over to Alfred, sitting on the bed next to him as he took his hand. "But I was a fool, Alfred, just like you. I made mistakes."

Alfred held his hand silently.

"You're more than enough for me, Arthur. You are everything."

Arthur felt heat rush to his face as he tried to draw his hand away. But Alfred wouldn't let go.

"I was just thinking...I realized where I went wrong, Arthur."

Alfred gazed at him seriously as he continued.

"I put myself first. Over you, over your happiness, I put myself first. I was a selfish bastard, and I...I destroyed the only thing that mattered."

"Alfred..."

"No. I don't deserve to be comforted by you," Alfred decided, his eyes pained. "I never even deserved to see you again, after what I did. I'm a monster."

Were his eyes becoming red again?

"Alfred. Listen to me."

"N-No, no, I don't want you to comfort me, I don't want to forgive myself for it -"

"You bloody twat, if you'd just listen to me for _one second_ you wouldn't be going over the same meaningless rubbish in your head for days on end!"

Alfred's eyes widened. Arthur had definitely gotten his attention, and he reached out and pinched Alfred's cheek.

"Ow! Hey!"

"I take it you're listening, then. So you don't want to forgive yourself, but you want _me_ to forgive you? Bloody hell, Alfred, if you don't want to forgive yourself then _don't_! Don't forget it if you feel so strongly about it, but learn from it. So you were weak once. That's _fine_. We all are."

"B-But I'm supposed to be your _hero_, Arthur."

Arthur smiled. "And you _are_, Alfred. You always were. You give me strength, Alfred, although you don't realize it. Do you know what your mistake is?"

Alfred shook his head.

"You fail to take care of yourself. You were stubborn. You thought you could handle the jealousy back then, but you couldn't. You were young, and stupid, and prideful, and you let it build until it _became_ you."

Alfred shrunk into himself, his mouth dipped in a deep frown.

"And that's okay," Arthur finished, forcing Alfred to look at him again. "Because you're _human_."

"H-How can you...how can you accept that so easily? After what I did to you...how can you still love me?"

Arthur pursed his lips, shrugging. "I don't know, Alfred. It hurts a lot, and I still feel sick. But _you_ are more important to me than memories. I love and want to help the you of right now. I want to see you grow, support you through the good and the bad..."

"How are you so strong?"

His words came out as a whisper, an echo of what Elizaveta had asked him not too long ago.

Arthur smiled, leaning over and kissing Alfred on the forehead.

"Because I love you. And because you are strong, too."

* * *

_So, a lot of things got cleared up in this chapter, setting the stage for one last big hurdle..._

_Just as a warning, the next chapter gets **dark.** Read at your own discretion._


	15. Broken

_And the story continues..._

_Thank you for all the reviews; I really appreciate them!_

_After this chapter, there will be 2 more chapters and an epilogue. I'll be updating this story more frequently than normal since we're nearing the end._

_Please don't forget to review! _

* * *

"Mm..."

Arthur's eyes slowly fluttered open as he shifted slightly.

Something heavy was around his waist.

He tensed, blinking a couple of times as he tried to place his surroundings. It was fairly dark, although there was a lantern on the wall close by that lit up his side of the room. He kept staring at the opposite side of the room blankly as his eyes adjusted.

_Oh._

His conversation with Alfred came back to him as he shifted again. They must have fallen asleep after talking.

He was lying on the bed. With Alfred.

Alfred was holding him.

A flush crept onto his face as he turned around, and he found that Alfred was sleeping beside him, his face content, calm, and innocent. He smiled despite himself, reaching for Alfred's face.

It was warm. An inexplicable happiness filled Arthur's chest as he shifted again, snuggling up close to Alfred, wanting to be as close to him as possible.

He could allow himself just this much, right?

He felt incredibly embarrassed at his own actions, and he inwardly scolded himself.

But of course, he couldn't help the smile that rose to his face. The smile that Alfred had given him.

Arthur suddenly heard Alfred groan as he stirred, and his eyes shot up just in time to catch Alfred waking up, his blue eyes slightly unfocused.

"Hmm?" Alfred nuzzled his cheek against Arthur's head contentedly. "You seem happy," he commented, his voice teasing.

Arthur flushed, pushing against Alfred's chest. "N-no! You're just squishing me to death. Let me go already!"

"I don't want to," Alfred pouted, squeezing him tighter. Arthur sighed, his small protest squashed.

"Who's the strong one here?" Arthur muttered, glaring at Alfred. Alfred just laughed.

"I'll always lose to you."

"Clearly," Arthur responded sarcastically.

"Arthur, I..." Alfred stopped. He took a deep breath.

"When...when this is all over, I...you...would you..."

Arthur looked at him, frowning slightly.

"Uh...maybe this isn't the best time," Alfred said, chuckling to himself as he hugged Arthur to him again. "I'll tell you later."

"You can tell me now. We never know when we'll have time like this again," Arthur pointed out. "Or whether we'll even get out of here."

"We will," Alfred said stubbornly. "I promise."

Arthur sighed. "And even then, you..." His hands rose to Alfred's face without thinking, and his eyes widened. He quickly drew back his hands, leaving Alfred looking confused. He shook his head.

"You still...the curse isn't broken. I thought...I thought maybe, it had something to do with me, but..."

"Yeah..." Alfred frowned. "I don't know. I still don't feel...whole, yet. So I think that the demon part of me is still there."

"I don't understand," Arthur said, looking down as he distanced himself from Alfred a bit. "Were you not upset over killing me? I thought...maybe, when you told me, and when you let out all of your guilt...I thought that perhaps that would help you. But it seems that such was not the case."

Alfred frowned, scooting closer to Arthur. "Of course you helped me, Arthur! I'm with you more and more now, and -"

"Yes, but you're still part demon."

"I don't..."

"What else is there, Alfred?" Arthur pressed, until he realized a possibility.

Perhaps it was deeper than the guilt. Than the fact that he killed his lover. Of course, telling Arthur helped him sort out his feelings, but...something was underlying that action. Underlying _everything_.

Maybe...maybe Arthur's forgiveness wasn't enough. Even if he could forgive him, that wouldn't help.

Because in the end, it was Alfred himself.

Just as he arrived at the thought, he felt Alfred shift a bit until he was on top of Arthur. He looked down at him with an unreadable expression that was so strange for Alfred that Arthur felt his heart speed up.

"Arthur," he began, and Arthur felt his face instantly flush.

"Y-Yes?"

"I..."

Alfred suddenly let out a sigh, burying his face in Arthur's neck. He drew up again after a while, gazing down at Arthur.

"A hundred years without you...I'd go through it again, if I could relive this moment..."

"Y-You say such terribly embarrassing things sometimes, Alfred -"

"No. You don't get it."

"Understand _what_?"

"You...You're...you're everything," Alfred whispered.

Gently, Alfred leaned down, closing the gap between them...

Until a knock on the door interrupted them.

"...fre...die..."

They exchanged glances as they scrambled off of the bed, silently approaching the door to hear the voice better.

"I know you're in there. Come on out."

_Ivan._

* * *

There was no escape. There weren't any windows, and they were in the underworld anyway so it wasn't as if they'd get very far.

"Fuck off, Ivan," Alfred growled in a low voice.

"Oh, so you can speak," Ivan replied, his voice calm and cheerful as always. "Boys, break in."

"Get back!" Arthur exclaimed, yanking Alfred's arm backwards just as the door burst open.

They were instantly surrounded, and Ivan was holding Roderich by the arm painfully. Roderich seemed roughed up, a bruise marring his pale cheek. His glasses seemed to have a small crack on them, and his eyebrows were knit in a tight frown. He looked at Alfred and Arthur with what seemed like remorse, although Arthur couldn't tell in the dim light.

"This little rat told me a little story about two humans who played with things that shouldn't be played with," Ivan said, a triumphant, cutesy smile on his face.

Suddenly, Alfred's wrists were handcuffed as he was grabbed by four demons, two holding onto his arms and the other two behind him, pushing him forward. "Now comes Alfred's imprisonment. As should be," Ivan said simply. One of the demons tried to gag Alfred as well, but after a pointed glare from Alfred the demon shrunk back a bit.

Were they that intimidated by Alfred? Even in his _human_ form?

Maybe...maybe there was hope, then.

They'd need more than that for what Arthur was about to try. He knew it was stupid. Pointless. But he had to try.

Arthur drew in a quick breath and aimed a kick at the nearest demon, causing him to double over in pain.

Alfred took that as a signal and fought wildly against the four demons, but there were too many. They all piled on top of Alfred until he stopped fighting them, and they harshly dragged him up to a standing position afterwards. Arthur winced as he noticed the bruises forming on Alfred's face, and only afterwards did he notice three demons had grabbed him and were guarding him closely.

"Was that a betrayal?" Ivan wondered aloud, walking towards Arthur. "Then you should be punished, too. Perfect."

"No, leave him alone!" Alfred yelled as he was pushed out of the room. "You leave him alone, Ivan Braginsky!"

"No, I'll take my sweet time," Ivan responded merrily. "With your _beloved_ Arthur Kirkland." His voice suddenly dropped to a low tone.

Ivan suddenly let go of Roderich, who fell to the floor. He stood up, brushing himself off as he stared at Arthur with unreadable eyes.

"Roderich," Arthur began, but he was instantly cut off by a painful punch to the back by the demons behind him as he, too, was taken from the room.

* * *

He couldn't really remember what happened after that. His mind was a whirl of panic and worry. He was escorted by demons to a large prison cell, and to his relief, he realized that it was next to Alfred's.

Until he saw a chair in the middle of the cell. It gleamed in the dull light, a sickly silver, metallic color that brought up an unpleasant feeling from the pit of Arthur's stomach.

Cold sweat beaded on the back of his neck as he was forced forward and pushed down into the chair.

He could see Alfred's desperate gaze to his left, and three demons stood outside Alfred's cell to make sure he didn't escape or try anything.

Ivan slowly walked into Arthur's cell, shutting the door with a _thud_.

"Now. For first part of the punishment," he began, his voice buoyant, "Let us begin with a show. Surely this will trigger some memories. I heard from your white feather friend that you cannot remember. I will help you, before I punish you."

"W-What?" Arthur croaked, his throat dry. His mind seemed to freeze, and he had a hard time registering Ivan's words. Was it the room? The air? It certainly was a bit stuffy, but...why...why did his mind feel so _slow _while his heart was beating so fast?

Ivan smiled. "Though this is more punishment for your lover than is for you. Cannot be helped."

Suddenly, straps encircled his arms, waist, legs, and ankles, and he was bound to the chair in an instant.

"This is better. Now you cannot run."

"You better fucking let him go you sick piece of shit, or -"

"Calm down, Alfred. You can have your turn after me."

"What the _fuck_!"

Ivan turned to him with a smile. "You have done this already once before, yes?"

And that was when Arthur understood what Ivan meant to do.

He began to hyperventilate, his mind suddenly whirring with fear, nausea, and panic.

No. Not again.

Not in front of Alfred.

It would unhinge them both.

And that was_ exactly_ what Ivan wanted.

Alfred's mouth hung open in shock, his eyes wide. "J-Just let him go. Torture me instead!"

"Oh, you will get your turn," Ivan grinned. "I am glad you volunteered; it saves us the argument. To tell truth, I have always wanted to get to know you."

"You _sick fuck_ -"

"Alright, enough chit chat," Ivan sighed, shushing Alfred. "As much as I'd like to spend time with you, I have others to attend to."

Arthur began to struggle against the bonds as Ivan approached him.

"It will go easier if you don't struggle."

"As if I'd believe you," Arthur spat, his heart refusing to calm.

"Fair enough," Ivan shrugged, picking up a knife from the table. "I believe Alfred started with simple cuts. Just."

Cut.

"Like."

Cut.

"This."

Cut.

Arthur groaned, feeling the blood drip down his chest. Ivan had made three parallel lines in the center of his chest, simple light cuts that probably wouldn't leave a scar. There wasn't a lot of blood, either.

But Arthur knew it would get worse.

Because that was how it happened before, right?

"Arthur!" Alfred screamed, tugging on the bars of the cell. "Arthur!"

But Arthur was powerless to stop it.

And Ivan cut deeper, a look of glee on his face as he picked up a bigger knife, ripping Arthur's shirt apart as he carved a heart shape over where his heart was.

"I don't have one of these, and I suppose I should be glad for that," Ivan said as he finished drawing the heart. "I don't have one...but maybe I will take yours after this is over. Or perhaps, Alfred would like to have it. If he is good, maybe I will give it to him as a good boy present. What do you think?"

Arthur held back a cry of pain as he shut his eyes.

He didn't want to see Alfred. See the pain, the anguish on his face.

He just wanted it to be over. He had failed Elizaveta, failed Gilbert, failed Matthew, failed Roderich...

He was worthless. And now, just like last time, he would meet the same end.

Except he was getting killed by an insane psychopath instead of Alfred.

He felt pain blossom down his abdomen next, and then his arms, his forearms, his hands, his _fingers_...

And then Ivan was back at his chest again, and then his neck, he was suffocating and the pain was unbearable...

He was spun around a couple of times, and soon the room was unbearably hot, and he was sweating, and his blood mixed with sweat as it pooled on the floor. He had long since closed his eyes, trying to bear the pain.

He heard Ivan's gleeful laugh as his shoes were removed, and there was suddenly an unfathomable pain in his right foot, and he didn't want to look but he knew he wouldn't be walking anytime soon...

But just before he lost consciousness, he managed to speak.

He had to say it. If...if only, he could say this one thing...just one thing, all he wanted...

"Alfred..."

He wasn't sure if Alfred could even hear him.

"Alfred, you said...s-said..."

No. He _had _to finish.

"I said...saving it for later...asking you now...p-please...don't...look."

And then all was black.

* * *

Spots of red filled his vision from behind his eyelids. He couldn't speak. Blood filled his throat. Was that blood? Or water? Ivan had dumped buckets of ice water on him countless times. Perhaps it was that?

...why was it in his throat?

He didn't know how long it had been. He could no longer hear Alfred. He could no longer hear anything.

Arthur didn't mind. It was easier to bear the pain without the additional stress of Alfred's sorrow and anger.

He couldn't feel anything. At least he had his eyes.

Last time, he didn't even have his eyes.

At least he remembered that much.

Or were his memories lies?

Did they matter?

Did _anything_ matter?

"Okay, wake up now," Ivan said, dumping yet another bucket of ice water over Arthur's head, jolting him awake. Arthur woke from his daze with a start, not wanting to look down at his body - the messy flesh, a bloody canvas of pain and red and _no don't think don't feel -_

But Ivan seemed as if he were only getting started, and he hummed as he took out more instruments from his cart.

Ivan suddenly paused, looking over towards Alfred.

Arthur couldn't move his head anymore. But even if he could, he didn't want to.

He didn't want to see the defeated look on Alfred's face, the look that spelled out failure.

"Ivan."

His voice was low. Lower than normal.

"Ah, Alfred. You are back."

Arthur turned to look, ignoring the protests of his dying body.

And his eyes widened in shock at what he saw.

Alfred was standing now, the three demons outside his cell unconscious. Did Alfred knock them out?

His eyes were blood red, his skin pale, his hair pitch black...

Just like when they had first met.

"I was wondering when I would see you again, old friend," Ivan greeted. "How does it feel to be back?"

"I'm going to kill you," Alfred growled. "I'll rip your fucking head off and shove it -"

"Enough, Alfred. I'm busy."

Alfred's gaze fell to Arthur, and Arthur shuddered. Alfred's eyes filled with rage as he looked back at Ivan.

"_What have you done_?"

"It's my job," Ivan shrugged. "Cannot help it."

A blast blew through the cell, and when Arthur could see again he saw Alfred running towards Ivan, tackling him.

_No._

He couldn't let Alfred fall into despair again.

_No_...

He heard them fighting. But he couldn't move.

But somehow he saw maroon, and then he was free, and he scrambled over to Alfred, tugging him away with all the strength he had left...

"You asked me..." Arthur wheezed, not sure how he was standing. Alfred's eyes were wide as he held Arthur up, supporting him.

But Arthur suddenly collapsed, because his body could no longer hold him, and suddenly Alfred was there again, and he was in Alfred's arms, and...and was this a dream?

Even if it was...

He had to...

"You asked me...how...why...I...you told me you weren't...strong enough, good enough..."

Alfred's eyes darkened, but his hold on Arthur tightened gently.

Arthur's hands found their way to Alfred's face, holding him with all of his strength.

"_You _are enough, Alfred. You've made...mistakes. We all have," he managed before he broke into a coughing fit, coughing up alarming amounts of blood.

Gilbert held Ivan back as the two watched Alfred and Arthur with wide eyes.

"We've all suffered, and I know you..." He coughed up more blood, but he had to continue, he _had_ to...

"...love me, but don't you dare think for one second that if...I'm not on this earth you don't belong on it either."

Arthur stopped to catch his breath, and he knew he was dying; he couldn't see anymore and red was everything but he had to continue. Even though his voice was scratchy and wheezy and horrible, even though he was barely audible...

"Let my love..._support_ you, Alfred. Don't let it drag you down. You...you were going to lose it, again. When you saw...that. But...but Alfred...because I love you, I want you to _live_. Even if I'm gone."

Alfred shrunk back, his eyes hurt, tears threatening to fall.

"You are _alive_, Alfred. Don't let anyone, least of all me, take that away from you. B-Because...you are...you are alive, you are _you_...and that is more than _enough_."

"You're partly wrong, Arthur," Alfred responded suddenly. "My heart beats because of you. _For_ you. Everything...everything is for you."

A pause.

"So, for you...I promise I'll be strong."

The room grew slightly warmer as Alfred's eyes slowly turned blue, and his hair gold, for the last time.

For the curse was broken.

He set Arthur down gently before turning to Gilbert and Ivan.

Ivan stared at the two with a disappointed expression. "So your lion could fight, after all."

Gilbert's eyes were wide. "Y-You did it, Art. Shit, shit, _shit_!"

His face glowed as a wide grin spread across his face. "You did it! You actually fucking did it!"

But Arthur was no longer able to hear him, as all faded into oblivion.


	16. Recovery

_Hello, everyone! Sorry for the wait after that super-intense chapter xD I hope you enjoy the next one!_

_((As a little easter egg for those of you who have read my other stories - some of Arthur's memories here are from those AUs!))_

* * *

Small, dull spots of color moved across his vision, but Arthur didn't have the strength to open his eyes. He couldn't feel anything.

He felt very heavy. Inanimate.

Was he dead? Was this what death felt like?

...where...who...

...

_'My Queen.'_

_Arthur slowly opened his eyes, instantly shutting them again as bright light filtered through the room._

_'You've slept a long time. Did you have good dreams?' _

_His voice was teasing. _

_...His voice?_

_...who was..._

_'Bloody hell, Alfred, it's your fault,' Arthur heard himself groan._

_Al...Alfred. That's right. That's right, it was Alfred. Of course. _

_'Is today not a holiday?'_

_He saw Alfred move towards him, a different Alfred, but so much the same..._

_..._

_'You're freezing. Your pulse is dropping.'_

_'R-Really now...'_

_Cold. Cold. It was too cold, all of a sudden, and...and he was in water. _

_Why did he feel fear? Why was he hyperventilating? Why..._

_'Come with me.'_

_This Alfred was beautiful, his eyes radiant and deep, but he was soaked...and...and something about him was different._

_'Pardon?' Arthur heard himself say._

_'Come with me," Alfred repeated. He suddenly gripped Arthur's shoulders, his hands gentle but firm. 'My name is Alfred, and I will take you to safety.'_

_..._

_Arthur walked down the street, a bag of groceries in his hand. But he felt...different. _

_His heart felt heavy. His steps were brisk as he walked, but...he felt a bit empty inside._

_'I left him the note, right?' Arthur heard himself say. _

_Why was he talking to himself?_

_He felt painful as he thought of Alfred. For some reason, this Alfred...he was hurt. Something...what was it..._

_But he loved him so, so much. That he knew. That would never change, but...but sometimes, it was so hard..._

_He felt warm tears begin to roll down his cheeks. Others constantly asked why he did it. But there was nothing else he could do._

_Because he loved Alfred._

_..._

It was dark again.

It felt like ages since he'd seen anything.

He felt warm, too warm, but...but something was lifting him up.

Suddenly, he was lighter, and he felt more real, and...color...from the back of his eyelids, was he seeing _light_?

"Shh...he'll wake up when he's _ready_. Stop being so impatient, Gilbert."

Arthur could hear voices talking over him, and he was instantly overcome with a strange sense of deja vu.

He slowly opened his eyes, and he saw Gilbert, Elizaveta, and Alfred peering down at him.

Gilbert had dirt and cuts all over his face, and his hair was messy, but Elizaveta seemed cleaner than he had seen her in the cell, although her hair was still short and kind of a mess. Alfred's blond hair fell into his eyes as he stared down at Arthur worriedly.

"Oh my - ARTHUR!" cried Alfred, immediately wrapping him in a bone-crushing hug.

Elizaveta immediately hit Alfred on the head, and he let go with a pout.

"He's still recovering and you're all over him like a dumb mutt!" Elizaveta growled, looking at Arthur worriedly. "I just hope none of his wounds reopened..."

At the mention of wounds, Arthur was suddenly hit with a wave of pain, and he winced.

"See, I _told _you to be careful!"

"Hey, I said I'm sorry!"

"You never apologized! Apologize to Arthur right now!"

"S-Sorry, Arthur," Alfred said sheepishly, a smile on his face. "I..." His eyes softened. "For everything."

"No worries," Arthur responded automatically, blinking rapidly. "W-What happened?" His memories still felt a bit hazy, although his mind was a lot clearer than it had been before.

"Roddy has a thing for Liz," Gilbert grinned, "So he managed to do some aristocratic bullshit - I mean, _maneuvering_ \- to convince the higher-ups to let you guys go, since you're human and you're still alive."

Arthur turned to Alfred in surprise.

Human?

But that would mean...

Alfred smiled at him. "Arthur, I'm human. But you knew that all along, didn't you? After all, you were the first one to tell me that I had a heart."

And that was when Arthur began to cry.

"_Alfred, what did I tell you about making Arthur cry?!_"

Arthur could barely contain his laughter as Elizaveta began chasing Alfred around the house with her frying pan.

But when everyone had finally left him alone, Arthur was left to his thoughts. About what had happened, and...especially those dreams.

"Strange," he mused to himself, frowning. "Were those..."

Suddenly, he remember what Matthew had said. About the dreams, about how they...how they were different worlds, about how he and Alfred were inexplicably tied.

Arthur bit his lip, unable to hold back the smile that spread across his face.

And for the first time, he recalled the song of his own will.

'_I am drawn to you like a magnet..._

_Even if I left, we would find each other again_

_I've touched you; I can never go back, and that's just fine._

_You are everything in the world to me.'_

* * *

"Are you _sure_ you're okay? You don't need anything?"

"Yes, Alfred," Arthur sighed tiredly. He leaned back on his elbows, struggling to sit up, but Alfred refused to let him, gently pushing down on his shoulders.

Elizaveta and Gilbert were in the kitchen preparing dinner as Alfred explained to him that he had been unconscious for over a week.

"I was so worried," Alfred said softly, looking down. "I thought...I thought the same thing might have happened again. And...A-And seeing you like that..." He looked as if he were about to cry.

"Alfred...look at me."

Alfred shook his head. "I don't deserve to. I've brought you nothing but pain."

"...You brought me light, Alfred."

Alfred looked up, slight confusion in his eyes.

"You showed me darkness. But you also showed me light. And that is something to be grateful for," Arthur said, smiling.

Alfred allowed himself to smile, although Arthur knew he still hadn't forgiven himself.

But Arthur knew he had said enough. Comforted him enough. Only time could heal what Arthur couldn't.

"Y-You know," Alfred said, walking over to the table by the bed. "I...I was able to...when I changed back, I was able to remember everything." He frowned. "It's weird...I don't remember what happened to us before as well...but I did regain memories of what I did when I was a demon." He turned back to Arthur. "I put you through a lot."

"You did. You were quite the handful."

Alfred smiled bitterly. "It's weird...it's like, I have memories of me doing that, and what I was feeling, but...it's so weird to think of me doing that now, you know?"

Arthur could imagine, and he nodded.

"But," Alfred paused, opening the drawer and taking out a pair of red glasses. Arthur's eyes widened. "My eyesight got worse again. Which sucks. So I'm just gonna assume these still work..."

With a smile, Alfred walked over to the bed, sitting on the chair next to it as he gingerly handed the glasses to Arthur. "Put them on me?"

"...Alfred, you know I can't sit up."

Alfred pouted. "Aww. Then I guess I have to wait."

"You can always put them on yourself."

Alfred sighed, giving Arthur a long look before putting his glasses on.

"Now I can see how much you're suffering."

Arthur snorted, and Alfred reached over gently to hold Arthur's hand in his own.

His pinky finger was missing. Huh. He didn't remember that. He supposed he should be thankful; his brain probably blocked out the worst of the memories.

Alfred gently rubbed circles over Arthur's palm with his thumb.

"Arthur, uh..."

Arthur looked at him.

"So I guess...in the end, you never did remember anything. About us."

"Matthew told me I wouldn't be able to."

Alfred's eyes widened. "M-Matthew?"

Arthur's eyes softened. "He's an angel, Alfred. But he called you his brother."

"M-Matthew...Matthew was my brother, before. But he...he passed away, in an accident."

"...I'm sorry."

"No, it's..." Alfred sighed. "It's...it's done with, and...if that's where he ended up..." Alfred smiled. "Then that makes me happy."

Arthur smiled. It was perfect for kind, gentle Matthew. Fitting.

"I wonder why," Arthur began, gazing at the ceiling. "Against all odds, we found each other again."

Because even with the dreams, even with Matthew...it was still a bit much to take in.

Alfred blinked.

"Even though you became a demon, even though I was reborn in a completely different time, a different place..." Arthur turned to Alfred. "I still...we still found each other."

Alfred grinned. "It's meant to be, Arthur."

He blushed slightly, looking away again. "It doesn't make any sense."

Suddenly he recalled several of the dreams he had, Alfred in a long blue suit, a crown on his head...

But that couldn't be possible. Right? Well, Matthew _had_ said that they were more than dreams, but...

He had called him his queen.

Arthur shook his head suddenly. It was foolish, fantasizing like this. Especially over a dream.

"It makes sense to me, Arthur," Alfred said suddenly, his eyes bright. "I feel like I was born to meet you."

"Oh, will you _stop_ it with those cheesy lines!" Arthur huffed, suddenly overcome with embarrassment. Alfred laughed.

"Aww, c'mon, you know you feel the same way!"

"I do _not_!"

"Yes you do! What was that...what was it you told me before...Oh! Your confession was definitely _really_ bold, and you told me that I was enough and that we were -"

"_Ohhh_, will you _stop_ it! I...I take it back!"

"You can't take it back!" Alfred exclaimed, his eyes wide in mock hurt. "You already said it! That's like...that's like eating a pizza and saying you didn't eat it!"

"What does _food _have to do with anything?"

"Will you two stop arguing for _two seconds_?!" Elizaveta stormed into the room, glaring at Alfred. "And you! Stop provoking him! Honestly, you're just as bad as you were before!"

Alfred grinned, holding up his hands in surrender. "Oops."

"Arthur dear," Elizaveta said, turning to Arthur. "Dinner's in the kitchen, whenever you're ready. Alfred!"

"Y-Yeah?"

Elizaveta laughed. "I trust you, you know. To take care of him."

Alfred frowned. "You're...you're leaving already?"

Arthur froze, his gaze slowly shifting to Elizaveta. Gilbert stood by her side, his eyes downcast.

"I'm afraid...well, with Al here feeling better..."

"You could stay," Arthur blurted out without thinking. "It...you don't have to leave."

Elizaveta tilted her head. "Oh, Arthur..." She shook her head sadly. "We don't belong here. We're demons."

"Liz..." Alfred began. "Before...before you were a demon...what were you?"

Elizaveta shook her head again, smiling.

"Not allowed to talk about that," Gilbert said, coughing. "Taboo."

"The house is back to normal," Arthur noticed for the first time, his eyes wide.

Gilbert laughed. "Yeah. Got Roddy to help us fix it."

"Then," Alfred said, pressing further, "If...if you could be reborn again, what would you choose?"

Elizaveta's eyes widened.

She paused.

"A flower would be nice. In a nice, sunny meadow. I could be a green flower. Gilbert could be a pink flower."

"I never said _I _wanted to be a flower."

"Shush," Elizaveta said.

"But still..." Gilbert's voice dropped slightly. "You..."

Elizaveta turned to face him, and Alfred and Arthur watched the two curiously.

"You still..." Gilbert's expression tensed. "Me, over Roderich..."

Elizaveta froze for a fraction of a second before smiling, lightly punching Gilbert in the chest. "You fool," she whispered sadly. "It was always you."

She whirled around to Arthur and Alfred suddenly. "Well, now that I know Arthur's okay and well-fed for the night, we really should head back. Alfred. I trust you to take care of him. Don't screw up again, okay?" Her voice was sugary sweet, her words veiling a threat. "Because if you _do _screw up again, we won't be there to help you."

Alfred gulped. "G-Got it, Liz."

"Good."

She smiled, reaching over and kissing Arthur on the forehead. "Goodbye, Arthur." She walked over to Alfred and Gilbert mussed up Arthur's hair affectionately.

"Later, Art."

"It's _Arthur_."

Gilbert cackled. "Whatever you say, Art."

Elizaveta hugged Alfred, and he hugged her back, clear pain in his eyes. Elizaveta's eyes grew watery as she pulled away.

"A-And goodbye, Alfred."

Gilbert fistbumped Alfred, the two grinning sadly at each other, before Gilbert followed Elizaveta to the door.

Suddenly, Elizaveta turned around.

"I..." Her voice cracked. "I know that we'll meet again. All four of us. And we'll be able to laugh about all this."

And with that, they left.

And the house was silent once again.

* * *

"Arthur. Say _ahhh_."

"I don't need you to _feed_ me, you git, I can eat well enough on my own."

Arthur had managed to sit up, and since Gil and Liz had helped accelerate his healing process, he was actually feeling significantly better than he had been when he woke up. He leaned against the back of the bed, trying to push Alfred away.

"Awww, c'mon, at least let me feed you _once_! I'll never get this opportunity again!"

Arthur groaned. "Alfred, this is humiliating. And I don't _care_, the answer is still no."

"Arthurrr..."

"You seem to have cheered up quickly."

Alfred fell silent again, a frown on his face. "No, it's just...I still feel them, you know. Like they're with us."

"I do as well."

"And I kinda feel like we'll see them again, you know? Nothing lasts forever," Alfred said with a smile.

And Alfred had said _he_ was the strong one.

Arthur smiled at him, and he suddenly cleared his throat with a light frown. "Very well, Alfred. You may feed me _once_."

"Really?!" Alfred jumped up and down with excitement. "OMG OMG. Okay. Uh. Do you want the veggies first, or the curry?"

"I don't have a preference. Just get it over with."

"Awww, you don't have to be so grumpy...okay. Curry it is!"

"Don't you _dare_ spill it on me, Alfred, I'm warning you -"

"Say _ahhh_!"

"..."

Arthur silently opened his mouth, his cheeks pink, as Alfred gave him a spoonful of food.

It was delicious. Arthur closed his eyes, reminded so strongly of Elizaveta. The curry was just like her. Mild, somewhat sweet, but extremely spicy when he least expected it.

"Want some water?"

"Please," Arthur said, and Alfred handed him the glass. He took it gratefully, his eyes watering.

"You really can't handle spicy stuff, huh."

"I'm afraid not," Arthur smiled slightly, putting the glass down on the table next to him. "Alfred, are you going to eat now as well?"

"Huh. Oh, yeah...not really hungry," he mumbled.

Arthur stared at him in shock. Alfred? Not hungry? Did Alfred really just say he _wasn't hungry_?

"Are you feeling all right?"

"Yeah, I'm...I'm fine. I'll wait until you're done."

"Alfred, I'd feel very uncomfortable if you just sat there while I ate. Let's eat together."

"Arthur..."

"Alfred. Please."

Alfred shrugged. "Anything for you, little lion." He stood up abruptly, leaving the surprised Arthur.

_Little lion_. It's what the _demon_ Alfred used to call him. Why had he suddenly...Arthur felt himself flush slightly as he remembered it.

Alfred arrived with a large, characteristically-Alfred sized portion of food on his plate, sitting next to Arthur. "Wow, it's good," he remarked, stuffing his face with it. He seemed not to notice Arthur's discomfort, or his lapse in speech.

He noticed Arthur staring at him. "Hmm? Whazzap?" he said through a mouthful of food.

Arthur shook his head quickly. "No, it's...nothing."

Alfred frowned. "Tell me."

Arthur blushed again. "It isn't important."

"Are you sick again? You look kinda red."

"That's your fault, you dolt!"

_Oh no._

"I-I mean...er...yes, I might be feeling a bit feverish..."

Alfred grinned. "Was it something I _said_?"

Arthur's eyes widened. That manipulative little...so he _knew_. He said it on _purpose_.

"You're impossible," Arthur said, looking away.

"You're adorable."

"Shut up."

Alfred chuckled as he practically inhaled his food. He ended up finishing before Arthur, and after he put his plate away he walked over to Arthur, leaning forward until their foreheads were touching.

Arthur froze. "A-Alfred -"

"I love you."

"What?"

"I love you," Alfred said slowly, emphasizing each word. "_More_ than myself. And I'll never let you, or me, forget that again."

"Alfred..." Arthur was at a loss for words. So he did what felt natural, setting aside the plate on the table and leaned forward, kissing him.

Arthur was filled with warmth as they kissed slowly, Alfred getting on the bed and climbing over him.

And soon, Arthur drew back, averting his gaze.

Because he felt tired, so tired, and Alfred seemed to sense that as he rolled over, lying next to Arthur.

"You can sleep," Alfred said, a tender smile on his face. "I will wait. I will be by your side. Always."

And so Arthur slept, gazing into Alfred's eyes one last time before sleep took over.

* * *

_There is one more chapter after this, and then an epilogue. I hope you enjoy them! _


	17. Salvation

_Hello everyone! I apologize for the long wait._

_I hope you enjoy the next chapter!_

* * *

_One month later..._

"Arthur! Arthur, are you ready?"

"Alfred, I don't understand how you expect me to finish dressing from five seconds ago to now."

"How about now?"

"The answer is still _no_, Alfred."

"...do you need helping changing or something?"

"Where the bloody hell did you get that from? Leave me be!"

"I'm gonna come in in a minute if you don't hurry up."

"_Alfred! _Oh...okay, hold on..."

Arthur burst out of the room, his cheeks red with a huge frown on his face. He glared at Alfred as a slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Great!" Alfred grinned as he pecked Arthur on the cheek. "Let's go!"

"Why are you so excited about meeting them anyway?" Arthur huffed. "The last time you met Alice she wanted to kill you, and the last time you met Amelia...well, let's just say I hope she doesn't hit you with that bat of hers. But they'll definitely be shocked, seeing you so...different."

"Not that different," Alfred winked. "I can act a bit if I want."

"Oh?" Arthur said absentmindedly as he tugged on his shoes. He leaned against the wall for support as he put them on, noting that he'd have to sweep the floors soon. He really didn't understand how dust and dirt was able to pile up so quickly.

"Yeah. You don't think so?"

"Mm-hmm," Arthur said, again not paying attention to the conversation as he planned out the rest of the day.

_Let's see...__we'll be meeting with those two for lunch, but after...what day was it again today? Did he have work? _

His general rule of thumb was that he agreed with whatever Alfred was saying when he wanted the conversation to end as soon as possible.

In this case, though, it hadn't worked.

"What the -"

Arthur's back was against the wall as Alfred's arms were on either side of him, pinning him to the wall. His head shot up as he stared at Alfred in surprise, his mouth slightly open.

"A-Alfred, what are you -"

"Hush, little lion," Alfred murmured, his voice dark and deep, as he leaned closer to Arthur. Arthur panicked and tried to push him away.

"Alfred, what are you doing?" he protested. "I haven't even put my shoes on -"

"Shhh..."

Inches away from his face, Alfred's predatory gaze was erased in an instant as he burst into laughter.

"Oh my _god_! You should have seen the look on your face, Arthur! It was _hilarious_! You'd have thought I broke a mirror or something!"

Arthur was still flushed, staring at Alfred in confusion.

"You said I couldn't act. But I think I remember how I was pretty well," Alfred explained, winking again as he took Arthur's hand.

So _that _was what he was talking about. Arthur sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

Maybe he'd just not respond next time. And now he'd _completely_ forgotten what he was thinking about.

He followed Alfred out of the house, _his_ house, as they emerged on the cobblestone street. They had decided to move to Arthur's smaller home instead of staying in Liz and Gil's hut in the forest, as it was in the town and generally closer to everything. Besides, living in that huge house without Liz and Gil was...well, lonely.

Not to mention, now that everything was more or less back to normal, Arthur had to go back to work. He had a very...interesting conversation with Francis, but Francis knew his worth and allowed him back.

In terms of housing, though, Arthur didn't have a separate room for Alfred, so, much to his embarrassment, it was inevitable that they shared a room.

And one thing had led to another...Arthur shook his head vigorously, trying not to think about it.

Though it wasn't wrong - God, there was nothing _wrong_ with what they had done, especially since it had felt right - there was still so much _stigma_ around their being together that sometimes Arthur found it hard to believe they were actually living together at all. He loved Alfred immensely, but...

_With time. I'll get used to it with time._

After walking for a while, the two arrived at the cafe where they had promised to meet Amelia and Alice.

They ran into them a couple of days prior, and the girls had insisted that they sit down to chat with them. Well, mostly Amelia. So they agreed to have lunch together.

Soon enough, they found Amelia and Alice chatting animatedly, and...Arthur's eyes widened as he saw that they were sitting next to each other, holding hands.

Alfred stopped as well, a peculiar expression on his face.

"They're...good friends, huh," he commented, his eyes round. "I didn't really expect that. Okay. Let's go say hi!"

"Are you sure we should...er, interrupt them?"

"I'm sure it's fine!" Alfred insisted, a grin on his face. "Come on, let's go."

"ALICE!" Alfred called, waving as he jogged over to them. "AMELIA!"

The two whirled around, Alice slightly red as she tugged her hand away. "Oh, Alfred," Alice said, her voice even as she smiled politely. "It's very nice to see you again."

"Alfred! Waaiiit..." Amelia frowned. "What happened to your _hair_? Actually. What happened to _you_? Did you get a tan or something?"

Alfred stopped, frowning slightly. "What? _Oh_...uh, yeah. Been working out, that sort of thing."

Amelia whistled, a smirk on her face. "Oh ho ho. _Very_ interesting. Looking forward to kicking your ass in our next game," she said, her smile slightly threatening as she motioned for the two to sit down.

"Hey, Arthur!" Amelia grinned, beckoning him over.

"Hello, Arthur," Alice said, the same smile on her face.

"Good afternoon, you two," Arthur greeted, sitting down next to Alfred opposite Amelia and Alice.

"So like, where have you guys even _been_?" Amelia demanded. "You just ran off with that cute guy the other day and _nothing_ for a month! Alice was super worried!"

"I was _not_ worried," Alice intervened, frowning slightly. "Simply startled."

"Uh-huh. Which was why you began asking around to see if anyone saw them," Amelia countered, and Alice frowned, looking away.

"No worries, and apologies for worrying you two," Arthur said, smiling slightly. "We were..."

"Busy," Alfred finished. "With stuff. Moving in, and all that."

The other three stared at him, Arthur shaking his head vigorously.

_Don't you dare mention that, Alfred! _

Honestly, how could he be so thick-headed?

"Moving in? Where?" Amelia asked eagerly. "When?"

"Oh, just me an' Arthur!" Alfred replied cheerfully. "The old house was kinda stuffy -"

"Wait. You guys _live_ together?"

Alice looked up at that, looking slightly surprised.

"N-No, he just means -"

"Yeah!" Alfred interrupted, a grin on his face. "Can't split us apart, me and Arthur!"

Arthur knew he was blushing. He looked down into his lap, speechless.

It was careless, to talk about their relationship in such a manner. Dangerous. Especially when people generally weren't accepting. At all. But Alfred wasn't daunted by it.

"Wait...so you guys..." Amelia looked between the two of them, her eyes wide. "Like...you're _together_?"

"Yup!"

Why was he being so...why was he acting so _proud_ of it?

Arthur kicked Alfred under the table, and Alfred finally looked at him, realizing Arthur was uncomfortable.

"Uh...yeah," Alfred said again hesitantly. "A-Anything wrong with that?"

"That's actually really cute," Amelia laughed, lightening the tension. "I thought something was going on with you two. Now I guess I know," she said, winking as she nudged Alice. "See?" she whispered loudly. "We're not the only ones."

Alice suddenly went red, and she hid her face in her hands. "S-Shut up, Amelia..."

Amelia turned to Arthur suddenly, a slight, somewhat sympathetic smile on her face. Arthur's eyes widened slightly as he realized she had known from the start. _How_ she had known, Arthur couldn't guess, but...

Apparently she was a lot more observant than he realized. Perhaps she just pretended to be so outgoing and oblivious when it suited her, but she could actually be quite compassionate when she wanted to be. Especially since she had gone out of her way to clearly let them know she and Alice were together as well, much to Alice's embarrassment.

Suddenly, a waiter bumped into Arthur, spilling cold ice water onto his head and lap and jolting him out of his thoughts. He jumped, startled, and the waiter dropped his drinks in surprise.

"Oh, pardon me - I deeply apologize sir, I must not have been looking where I was going! My apologies, sir, are you all right?" The waiter seemed to trip over his words, but that no longer mattered.

_Cold._

Before he knew it, Arthur began to hyperventilate, losing control of himself as his eyes grew wide with fright. Everything was suddenly fading, growing darker, his very self dissolving into memories and fragments.

Cold. It was cold, and he was there again, in that dark cellar, and Ivan was there, and it was cold, and he couldn't see anymore and he was going to die -

"Sir! Sir, are you all -"

"It's fine," Alfred cut in, his voice low. But Alfred didn't exist anymore. No, Alfred wasn't there, his voice a grotesque temptation from Ivan, a trick, nothing more, and he was alone again...

"Please, can you go get him a towel or something?"

"O-Of course, sir!" the waiter yelped as he ran off. Alfred stood up immediately, leaning in front of Arthur as he took his hand. Alice and Amelia watched, their eyes wide, and Amelia had unconsciously gripped Alice's hand in shock.

"Arthur. Arthur, can you hear me?"

_No. _

No. It was dark. And Alfred was there now, yes, but he was bleeding, it was red, he was dying and he was a demon and it was too late, and Ivan was there with the knife, with the water again, cold, cold, _cold_ -

"_Arthur_," Alfred murmured, his eyes pained, slowly running his hands up Arthur's arms, to his shoulders, steadying him.

This was not the first time it had happened. The first time, Alfred had panicked, not knowing what Arthur was going through or what was happening. But he soon realized what it was.

Ever since that day, something would occasionally trigger Arthur, and he'd fall into fits. Alfred was helpless at first, not knowing what to do, how to save him. How to bring him out, how to show him light. But he had slowly learned, as Arthur had slowly learned to help him all those months ago. Sometimes his voice worked, sometimes touch worked, sometimes he would just hold Arthur in his arms until he stopped crying.

Alfred forgot the world around him as he slowly gripped Arthur's hands again, kissing them.

"Arthur," he murmured again, frowning as he saw the missing finger. "Arthur, it's okay. It's over now. You're safe. I'm okay. You're okay." Alfred's hands drifted up Arthur's arms, holding his shoulders gently before raising his hands to cup his cheeks. Alfred noticed that Arthur's eyes had gone slightly unfocused, almost as if he was seeing something Alfred couldn't.

"Dead..."

"No. I'm not dead."

"It's red," Arthur said, his voice broken, hoarse, soft. "Your eyes, your...everything is gone..."

"No," Alfred pressed again, pressing his forehead to Arthur's. "No, nothing is gone. Everything is here. With us. In this moment."

"Ivan, he -"

"Doesn't exist," Alfred interrupted. Sometimes Arthur couldn't even hear him, so he considered it lucky that Arthur was less inside his mind this time.

"Why...how..."

Slowly, Arthur's breathing began to return to normal as his green eyes focused again, and he finally saw Alfred, his blue eyes inches away from his own.

"Al...fred," Arthur swallowed, gasping as sweat beaded on his forehead. "Alfred."

"Yes. I'm here."

Arthur suddenly realized where they were, and he looked across at Amelia and Alice's frightened faces.

"Oh my - I-I apologize," Arthur said quickly, struggling to recover as he motioned for Alfred to go back to his seat. "J-Just was frightened a bit. That's all."

Alfred went back to his seat, but he still held Arthur's shaking hand.

"Arthur," Alice began, hesitant. "Are you..."

"N-No, it's all right, I assure you," he said with a smile. "Not feeling well." He was still shaken and shivering, but he knew he had to try his best to feign normality until he had time to recover.

"I give good massages," Amelia offered with a sly smile. "You want one?"

Arthur blinked. "No thank you."

Amelia pouted. "You sure? You'd feel _real good_."

Arthur's eyes widened. Was she honestly _flirting _with him when she was already in love with someone? He couldn't fathom it. He saw Alice shift uncomfortably next to Amelia, glaring at her ever so slightly. Arthur chuckled as he realized that the girl really only wanted to lighten the mood and change the subject.

"Maybe another time."

* * *

The rest of the lunch had been more or less pleasant. They'd caught up with each other, though Alfred and Amelia had done most of the talking. Although the demon Alfred just bickered with her, Arthur was surprised to find that Alfred and Amelia actually agreed on a lot of things.

"And I'm always like, we should just go _do _it, you know? But _Arthur _always insists on taking a step back and _analyzing _everything, and it's just -"

"Oh my _God_, I _know_, right?! Alice is _exactly_ the same, and I get so annoyed because it's like, hello, I just asked you -"

"Well, I do hope you are enjoying a good laugh at our expense," Arthur interrupted, tired of their accusations. He glared at Alfred, and looked at Amelia irritatedly. "I think it's time we change the subject."

Alice smiled briefly at Arthur before nodding. "Agreed."

"Oh come on, we all know you're both hopeless romantics -"

"I am _not_!" Arthur and Alice said in unison, and glanced at each other in surprise as Amelia and Alfred broke out laughing.

"Oh my god, did you _hear_ that?" guffawed Alfred. "They said it at the exact same time!"

"This is _too good_!" laughed Amelia, slamming her fist on the table repeatedly. "I can't...even..."

"Arthur?"

Arthur blinked. He turned around suddenly, thinking he heard someone say his name.

And he wasn't wrong. For Matthew was standing there, with his gentle smile, as he walked towards Arthur.

"Arthur...do you mind coming with me?"

"Hmm?" Alfred turned to Arthur. "Arthur, what are you looking at?"

Arthur frowned. "Alfred, Matthew is-"

"What?" Alfred looked at where Matthew was standing. "Uh...what?"

So he couldn't see him? Arthur frowned, and saw Matthew shaking his head sadly.

"I'm not allowed to meet him. Just you. Come with me, Arthur."

Arthur stood up abruptly. "I...I need to use the restroom," he said, walking towards the restroom. When he was out of sight, he quickly darted out of the cafe and followed Matthew away from the busy streets.

"Arthur...I needed to see you one more time...t-to finish what I couldn't tell you."

"Matthew. You're all right." Arthur couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. "I thought...you...you got hurt, didn't you? Protecting us..."

"I-I'm fine," Matthew said, returning Arthur's smile. "But...you...I told you, this world at this place and time...there's a paradox."

Arthur frowned. "You said that before. What do you mean?"

"I mean, there cannot be two manifestations of a single soul in one place at one time. It goes against the laws of the world. The laws of life, of reincarnation..."

Arthur frowned.

Matthew cleared his throat. "W-What I mean, is...you should try to stay away from those two. I'm not...completely certain, but..." Matthew frowned. "It would be best to...not be close to them. Because this world cannot have two of you."

"What does that..."

He couldn't believe what Matthew was implying. But it made so much sense, at the same time...

"I-If you're too close, for too long..." Matthew's eyes fell. "To put it bluntly, this world will try to kill you. And Alfred. Because you two weren't supposed to be here in the first place. Order will be restored with you two gone."

Arthur's heart thundered in his chest. "Then..."

Matthew looked up at him, his eyes earnest. "So please. Haven't you noticed any accidents that happen when you're around those two?"

The waiter had spilled the ice water on him.

Amelia had almost whacked him with her bat the first time they met.

But surely those were coincidences? And they weren't life-threatening, at that.

"But that's not..."

Matthew smiled sadly. "Staying away from them is your best bet. But Arthur, as much as you've been through...there's a lot more to go. For the rest of this life. Living in a world that is unforgiving..."

Arthur felt a huge weight suddenly weigh him down.

Matthew walked towards him, and Arthur could swear that Matthew was becoming more and more transparent...

"But I believe in you, Arthur. Because I know that, against all odds, you _will_ create a happy future. For you, and for him...so now, for the last time. Goodbye, Arthur. And please...tell Alfred that I'm proud of him."

And then he vanished again, leaving a white feather in Arthur's hand.

* * *

Arthur was mainly silent for the rest of the lunch and on their way home.

Alfred sensed something was wrong, and when they arrived at Arthur's home, Alfred decided to ask.

"Hey...so...what happened back there? Are you still...feeling ill, from the water?"

"Hm? Oh, no...nothing like that. I'm fine, honestly."

"You're kinda quiet."

"I'm always quiet, you twat."

"Yeah, but...not like this."

"Alfred..."

He knew he had to tell him sooner or later. So he told him everything that Matthew said, from start to finish, as Alfred listened with wide eyes.

He saw Alfred hunch over slightly.

"So we can't see them again?"

"...That's what he advised."

"That's such bull. I can't believe that."

"It seems fair enough, though."

"No. About the part where...where the world is against us. I can't accept that."

"Alfred..."

"No. We didn't fight this far just to realize that the entire fucking _world_ wants us gone."

"Alfred." Arthur took his hand suddenly, and Alfred froze. "I don't care that the world wants us gone. _I _want you here with me, and that's why we're both going to survive."

Alfred grinned. "That's exactly what I was gonna say. Honestly, according to him, we weren't even supposed to be here in the first place. But that happened. And you weren't supposed to save me. But _that_ happened. So, I'd say there's a fair chance that we're gonna fight through this. Me and you." Alfred kissed him quickly before bending down to take off his shoes.

Arthur let out a small breath, smiling.

Whatever it was, they'd take it on together.

They always had, and they always would.

* * *

_Thank you to everyone who read this story. It really means a lot to me, and I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I loved writing! This is the end of Magnet, but there **will** be an epilogue that takes place some time later which I'll be sure to post soon!_


	18. Epilogue -- Magnet

_Aaaand, we're down to the last and final chapter of this story. The epilogue._

_I cannot thank all of you readers enough for reading until the end and going on this adventure with me. I'm so grateful, and I'm so happy for those of you who enjoyed it. Thank you so, so much for all of the reviews; they really helped give me support to continue writing._

_So, without further ado, the epilogue. I hope you enjoy this story until the end!_

_Once again, the translation of the song 'Magnet' by Ryuusei-P is from __ wiki/Magnet#Translation_

* * *

_15 years later..._

"Alfred, it's your turn to get the kettle."

"What?"

"I said, it's your turn to get the kettle."

"_What_?"

Arthur snapped his book shut, swerving his head towards the direction of Alfred's voice in frustration. "For the last bloody time, I said, it's your -"

"Can't hear you!"

"Alfred, you're barely 35! Your hearing cannot _possibly_ be that bad!"

"Who says? Plus, if you count when I was a demon, I'm like, probably five times your age!"

"What does that even _mean_?"

Alfred popped his head into the doorway, grinning at Arthur. "Aww, c'mon. Let's go get it together."

Arthur sighed, standing up and stretching. He walked over with Alfred to the kitchen, taking the kettle off the stove and pouring the boiling water into a well-used, moss green mug.

"You really should learn to drink tea. Calms your nerves."

"Nah, I'm more of a coffee guy."

"I know."

"Plus, you can still be hella prickly even with tea. So I don't think that it really calms your nerves," Alfred teased, and Arthur elbowed him in the side.

"Shut it."

"Arthuuuur."

Arthur sighed, deciding against arguing with Alfred. He walked over to the couch, settling himself down.

"It's midday and we still haven't eaten anything," Arthur said aloud, realizing he was hungry. "Shall we go get a bite, or shall I make something for us?"

"Uh." Alfred froze. Arthur's eyes narrowed. "Um...no, although, trust me, I would..." Alfred gulped. "_Love_ to eat the...stuff...you make...I promise...but uh, yeah, let's go to get something to eat, yeah?"

Arthur shrugged, again deciding to avoid squabbling over nothing. But he could _never_ understand why Alfred opted to avoid his home cooking so many times. Perhaps, the less he had it, the more he'd savor it?

"All right," Arthur said decisively after a while. He stood up again, finishing his tea quickly before the pair made their way out the door.

Winter in Alar was always hard, a fact Arthur was constantly reminded of every time a gust of cold, biting wind smacked his face the moment he opened the door. But, like always, he grit his teeth and bared it, while Alfred opted to wear more layers and a scarf. Several, if Arthur decided not to wear his own.

He shivered involuntarily - and, as always, began to regret his decision not to wear a scarf. But Alfred quickly held his hand, as he always did, with a sympathetic smile towards Arthur for his stubbornness.

Arthur felt the back of his neck heat up as he blushed slightly, an uncontrollable reaction he just never got used to over the years.

He heard Alfred chuckle next to him, and turned on him with a glare.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing. You're just cute."

"Honestly..." Arthur had long given up arguing with him on that point. He just couldn't fathom what went through Alfred's head sometimes. But then again, maybe that was for the better.

* * *

About ten minutes into their walk, Arthur noticed two small, quite loud children playing in the park across the street. He smiled to himself. It was a harsh winter, after all, and seeing children healthy and happy was a rarity these days. Alfred seemed to notice as well and smiled, squeezing Arthur's hand.

"Do you want to loop around the park?"

Arthur nodded, feeling somewhat drawn to the children. Perhaps it was their energy. He needed that nowadays.

Of course, he always had Alfred. But even Alfred had softened over the years - in fact, sometimes Arthur himself made certain rash decisions that were somewhat out of his character. Perhaps they were rubbing off on each other, just a bit.

Upon closer look, Arthur noticed a small boy and girl were running around, chasing each other. The girl was chasing the boy, to be precise, and she shrieked with delight every time she got closer to him. The boy yelled in excitement every time he evaded her, a crooked grin on his round face. As they got closer and closer to the children, Arthur noticed something very peculiar, and his heart thudded loudly in his chest.

The boy's hair seemed to be unnaturally pale, almost white, and his eyes...were an unusual maroon color. The girl, in contrast, seemed fairly normal, and she had brown hair with bright green eyes.

"Got you!" she exclaimed, and the boy screamed again as she suddenly rammed into him. They both toppled over, laughing and fighting with each other.

Those eyes...that smile...

Arthur didn't know why, but they seemed uncannily familiar. It was...they were too similar to...

Suddenly, the girl barreled into Arthur, and she quickly jumped back, looking up at him in surprise.

"Oops! Sorry, mister! Nice to meet you!"

Arthur stared at her, overcome with emotions he couldn't understand.

It was impossible. It was probably just Arthur imagining things.

But all he could think of was _her._

Alfred smiled tenderly at the girl as he squeezed Arthur's hand, as if he knew what Arthur were thinking. He helped the girl up gently.

"You be careful, okay?"

The girl nodded rapidly. "Thanks!" She rushed off towards the boy again, chasing after him. The boy met Arthur's eyes for a split second before grinning sheepishly and running away again.

"Y-You think that was..."

"Hmm..." Alfred shrugged before turning to Arthur. "Let's leave them be."

Arthur knew Alfred missed those two even more than he did, but...he knew they had to let it go. That they _had_ let it go, that they had prayed, and that their wish could have come true.

As they walked away, they failed to notice a third child hiding behind the tree, watching the other two with calm, violet eyes, a small smile, and a dark cowlick that refused to join the rest of his neatly brushed and parted hair.

* * *

So they continued, leaving the two to their game.

"I wonder how Alice and Amelia are," Arthur mused, looking at the sky.

The two had moved to a different town on account of Amelia's job over a decade ago, and they hadn't seen them since. But they had continued to spend time with them until they left, and they had gotten to know them well.

"I'm sure they're all right. Just like us," Alfred said, smiling.

"Moving forward."

"Moving forward," Alfred agreed.

Suddenly, Arthur stopped, and Alfred halted immediately, turning to him, slightly confused. Arthur turned to face him hesitantly, a memory popping up in his mind of a conversation they had years ago.

_"You never did argue with me about my job. About Francis being my boss. Not once."_

_Alfred frowned. "Why are you talking about this now?"_

_"You had so many problems with him before. Why did you never ask me about him?"_

_Alfred smiled. "Duh. Because I trust you. And besides, he seems to know what he's doing. This time, at least. It can't be helped. Everything aside, he's a pretty cool guy."_

He wondered how it had all happened.

Everything, leading up to this. Their happiness. Their being together.

How _lucky _he was to have Alfred by his side. He had no idea why on _earth_ it was now of all times that he was acting all old and sentimental - perhaps it was those children - but he knew that he was, unfortunately, _very_ deep down...the sentimental type.

"Arthur..." Alfred looked concerned. "You're not gonna start _crying_, are you?"

"You idiot. There's just...s-something in my eye," Arthur muttered, swiping at his face.

"Uh-huh." Alfred sounded unconvinced.

"Alfred, I just..."

He didn't understand why his feelings for Alfred grew over time. Why, every morning as he looked at Alfred's face, his heart wouldn't stop pounding, why he loved Alfred more and more as time went on, as he discovered more and more about him...

"I'm here." Alfred suddenly took his hand, kissing it. "I'm here. I'm right here."

Arthur looked up in surprise, thinking Alfred had misunderstood and thought he was having another episode, but he realized Alfred understood how he was feeling.

And Alfred _had_ been there for him. They had been there for each other, through nightmares and fits and everything else, they had been together, supporting each other, lifting each other up...

And Arthur knew that he didn't want anything more.

Just to be here, in this moment, with Alfred, was more than enough.

"I love you."

A smile, as radiant as the sun. That had saved Arthur, shown him light, given him _meaning_...

"I love you, too."

And in soft, gentle voices, Alfred and Arthur sang together as they walked.

_'A slender flame burns at the edge of my heart..._

_Without warning, it spreads into a burning passion_

_My butterfly, flitting around it chaotically_

_Scales dropping into your hand..._

_I am wrapped around your finger, from the lips to the tongue_

_Even if this is something that cannot be allowed, the flames jump higher still..._

_I want to embrace you, I want you to tell me_

_That you don't think this is a mistake_

_I want you to kiss me, I want you to remake me_

_I want to drown in this moment of captivation...'_

Alfred's grip grew tighter, and his voice grew louder. Arthur followed suit.

_'Every moment, it's harder to restrain myself_

_If this is love, I want to wear it on my sleeve..._

_The 'strange feeling' turns into an unbearable longing..._

_I would follow you to the end of forever_

_If my heart goes astray, I will be easily relieved_

_As if we had no time to feel tender to each other_

_That dream has never come again_

_There is no chance in our reality_

_If we touch, I know we can never go back, and that's just fine..._

_You are everything in the world to me...'_

Alfred slowly came to a stop, turning to look at Arthur, a small smile on his face.

_'Anxiety arrives with the dawn to find me still crying..._

_When you whispered, 'it's all right,' did I hear tears in your voice, too?_

_I want to embrace you, I want you to tell me _

_That you don't think this is a mistake_

_I want you to kiss me, I want you to remake me_

_I want to drown in this moment of captivation_

_I am drawn to you like a magnet_

_Even if I left, we would find each other again_

_I've touched you; I can never go back and that's just fine...'_

Blue joined with green as they drew closer to one another, their faces inches apart and slowly closing the gap.

_'**You are everything in the world to me.'**_


End file.
